The Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce Wednesday urged the Lafayette City-Parish Council to table an ordinance that, if approved on March 9, would allow parish voters to decide in November whether to repeal the city-parish charter and return to dual city and parish forms of government. The Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce Wednesday urged the Lafayette City-Parish Council to table an ordinance that, if approved on March 9, would allow parish voters to decide in November whether to repeal the city-parish charter and return to dual city and parish forms of government.
In a release issued to the media and the council late Wednesday afternoon, a chamber spokeswoman writes, "The Chamber's Board of Directors voted this week to urge this action. The Board's rationale is that the issue is too important and the stakes are too high to make that decision on March 9th without a comprehensive study of the issues and consequences of the pending decision."
According to the release, the chamber has no position on abolishing consolidated government but feels more time is needed to "ascertain and consider the implications of any proposal that could end up on the ballot."
The issue of consolidation blazed into the public dialogue Feb. 1 when a council committee tasked with making recommendations on tweaking language in the charter instead recommended the council consider an ordinance to put deconsolidation before voters. Last week the City-Parish Council advanced an introductory ordinance.
The chamber will host a webinar - "The Unknowns of Undoing' Consolidation" - on Tuesday, March 2. Registration is available through Thursday, Feb. 25 at the chamber's Web site.