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<br />I
<br />U.S. Department of Justice
<br />Page 2
<br />September 20,2002
<br />incorporates by reference its Submission of August 9. 1979, for approval of a new
<br />Home Rule Charter for the City of La Porte, and change from the commission form of
<br />government, to a Council-Manager form of government, with a Mayor and two (2)
<br />Councilpersons elected at large, and six (6) Councilpersons elected from single-
<br />member districts, and establishing the boundary lines and polling places for each of the
<br />Districts. The City of La Porte also wishes to incorporate by reference, its Submission
<br />of December 29, 1983, as supplemented March 9, 1984, in connection with its
<br />Annexation Ordinance No. 1393, passed and approved December 28, 1993; its
<br />Submission of October 18, 1985, in connection with its 1985 Council Re-Districting; and
<br />its Submission of December 13, 1988, in connection with its Annexation Ordinance No.
<br />1626, passed and approved December 12, 1988, annexing the Bayshore Municipal
<br />Utility District.
<br />Article 2.01 (b), "Formation of Districts", of the Home Rule Charter of the City of La Porte
<br />provides for compulsory Council Re-Districting every five (5) years. The present
<br />formation of Council Districts was the Re-Districting adopted December 18, 1991, by
<br />City of La Porte Ordinance No. 1800. This amended the Council Re-Districting adopted
<br />October 14,1985, by City of La Porte Ordinance No. 1471. Council Re-Districting was
<br />not initiated in 1995 due to the assessment of the La Porte City Council that there was
<br />no evidence of a material population imbalance among the six single-member districts.
<br />The initial districting under the Home Rule Charter adopted August 23, 1980, by the
<br />citizens of the City of La Porte in a duly called election, created District 4, a district
<br />containing a substantial Black population. Since establishment of single-member
<br />districts in La Porte, District 4 voters have continuously, in 8 elections, elected a Black
<br />councilperson to represent them. In addition, in 1997, a Black citizen was elected to
<br />represent the citizens of District 3, a district with a Black population of only 3.11 %,
<br />based on the 2000 Census. Also, in 1998 a Hispanic citizen was elected to serve as the
<br />representative of one of two at-large Council positions. A Hispanic citizen also currently
<br />holds a seat as a Trustee for the La Porte Independent School District, elected in 2001.
<br />Since adoption of the Home Rule Charter the citizens of La Porte have also elected at
<br />large a Hispanic citizen to serve as Mayor of the City, serving from 1976 to 1981, and a
<br />Black citizen has twice been elected at large as a Trustee of the La Porte Independent
<br />School District.
<br />Since 1990, there has been a substantial growth of population within the City limits,
<br />causing the population of the six single-member districts as presently configured to
<br />become materially unbalanced, The Home Rule Charter states, in Article 2.01 (b):
<br />"City Council shall conduct an investigation and determine the population of the
<br />City and the population of each of the Districts from which District
<br />Councilpersons are to be elected. Each such determination shall be based upon
<br />the best available data, including, but not limited to most recent Federal census.
<br />Each such determination shall be expressed in an Ordinance, which shall be a
<br />final determination for purposes of this Charter, After any such determination, if
<br />the distribution of populations among the various Districts is determined by City
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