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WL council calls special meeting on annexation

The city of West Lafayette could soon extend its footprint within Tippecanoe County. An annexation ordinance sponsored by Mayor John Dennis is set to come before council members later this month.

The new city limits would include Purdue’s campus and residential areas west of the current boundary.

Councilor Eddie VanBogaert says the proposed annexation could allow the city to provide some of its current services at a lower cost.

"The coordination there is really cool, and what we can do in terms of potential cost savings, unified emergency response. There's redundancies every time you have jurisdictional overlap and we're able to, I think, address that with this.

He says annexation is a lengthy process, and the new map is still subject to change.

Councilor Gerry Keen says the move could have a positive economic effect on the city.

"Not only would you not inherit all of the expenses that go with that already-developed land, you have then a say and a control in how that land gets developed, which is another big positive and another big reason that if we're going to annex, now would be the time."

Keen says the city will not be burdened financially by annexing Purdue’s campus.

City council members will consider the annexation ordinance and take public comments at a special meeting, Monday, April 20.