§1371.  Reapportionment of municipal districts required after each decennial census; effective date

A.(1)  Except as otherwise provided in a homerule charter, the governing authority of any municipality which contains two or more districts from which public officials are elected shall, within one year after the official release of every decennial census, examine the apportionment plan of the municipal districts composing the municipal governing authority to determine if there exists any substantial variation in the representation of the districts.  After the examination the governing authority of such municipality shall, by ordinance adopted by a majority of the members thereof, either declare the apportionment of the districts to be equitable and continue its existing apportionment plan or provide for a new apportionment plan.

(2)  The time period for examination of the apportionment plan of municipal districts, as provided herein, for municipalities governed by the provisions of Part I of Chapter 2 of Title 33 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950 shall be within six months of the official release of every decennial census.

B.  If reapportionment is necessary it shall be made effective at the end of the term of the incumbent officials.  However, the effective date of such reapportionment shall not occur between the date on which municipal officials qualify for election and the date of the election.

C.(1)  The boundaries of any election district for a new redistricting or apportionment plan from which members of a municipal governing authority are elected shall contain, to the extent practicable, whole election precincts established by the parish governing authority under R.S. 18:532 or 532.1.

(2)  If the municipal governing authority is unable to comply with applicable law regarding redistricting and reapportionment, including adherence to traditional redistricting principles, in the creation of its redistricting or apportionment plan using whole precincts, the municipal governing authority may divide a precinct into portions that are bounded by visible census tabulation boundaries or census tabulation boundaries that are the boundaries of the municipality, as applicable.

(3)  The portion of any precinct within the boundary of a municipality which is divided only because it contains incorporated and unincorporated portions shall be considered to be a whole precinct for the purposes of this Subsection.

(4)  The municipal governing authority shall make every effort to minimize the number of portions the governing authority divides a precinct into and the number of precincts the governing authority divides into portions.

Added by Acts 1981, No. 855, §1, eff. Aug. 2, 1981.  Amended by Acts 1982, No. 558, §2, eff. July 22, 1982; Acts 1986, No. 1072, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1987; Acts 1991, No. 109, §1, eff. June 30, 1991; Acts 1999, No. 326, §1; Acts 2010, No. 824, §3, eff. June 30, 2010.

NOTE:  See Acts 1986, No. 1072, §2.