PORT ALLEN - Port Allen is making inroads to gobble up undeveloped land and a residential community totaling some 230 acres in an annexation effort to expand the city's western boundaries.

Mayor Richard Lee told members of the City Council Monday he met with the Lafayette-based attorney he had hired to guide the city on extending the city's limits.

The attorney aiding the city will draft a survey outlining the target area for the boundary expansion. Chief Administrative Officer Adrian Genre said city officials will then need to gain signatures in support of the annexation from 51 percent of the registered voters who own property within the proposed boundaries.

He says the entire process could take up to a year or longer.