Westfield will remain a 3rd-class city for now. Here's what that means.
Westfield will remain a third class city, despite its growing population in Hamilton County.
Westfield city councilors voted 6-1 Monday night against approving an ordinance that would move the government from a third class to a second class city.
The vote would have changed the government’s structure to add more city councilors and take the city’s financial responsibilities from the elected clerk-treasurer to a mayor-appointed controller.
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Councilman Scott Willis was the lone vote in favor of moving Westfield to a second class city. Councilors Mike Johns, Troy Patton, Jake Gilbert, Cindy Spoljaric, Scott Frei and Joe Edwards voted against the change.
“I think at some point in time we should be a second-class city,” Johns said. “I just don’t think so now.”
Johns said becoming a second class city should be done to improve "financial effectiveness," but based on his experience on the city council, he said it wasn't time to make the move to second class.
"I think until we have the appropriate policies and procedures in place, we need to maintain the oversight of our city finances by an elected individual rather than a mayoral appointee," Johns said in a prepared statement.
The city will continue to have a clerk-treasurer after Monday’s vote, who is the city’s financial officer.
Clerk-treasurer Cindy Gossard and Mayor Andy Cook have had a working relationship plagued by public disagreements and lawsuits over the last year and a half. Two of those lawsuits are still undecided.
"Once we can resolve issues of communication and rebuild trust and a better working relationship, I believe that we will be at a time and place to take that next step," Johns said. "I look forward to moving the city forward to second class status at that time."
Cook said he was disappointed by the vote Monday night.
"I think it's part of the process of a growing city to do several things: expand our representation from seven counselors to nine and also to bring forth additional accounting and financial controlling," Cook said.
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Westfield is the only third class city in Hamilton County and it has surpassed the population threshold for second class status, which is around 35,000 people, according to Indiana code. The population of Westfield is 46,410 people, according to the 2020 census.
A 2021 report authored by representatives of Baker Tilly, one of the companies tied to the Cook-ordered investigation of the city’s finances and processes, suggested Westfield consider the change.
A second class city has a nine-member city council with six district councilors and three at-large members, according to state code. As a third class city, Westfield continues to have a seven-member council with five district councilors and two at-large representatives.
Contact IndyStar's Carmel and Westfield reporter Brittany Carloni at brittany.carloni@indystar.com or 317-779-4468. Follow her on Twitter @CarloniBrittany.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Westfield will remain a 3rd-class city. Here's what that means.
