City of Columbia host public comment on redrawing the ward map
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
While state lawmakers redraw congressional lines, City of Columbia leaders are redrawing the ward map.
The city has three maps it's considering.
The city's ward reapportionment committee met Tuesday night to get public comment on the three options.
The ward redistricting helps determine who residents vote for to represent residents in the city government.
The main goal is to get all wards to an equal population of a little more than 21,000 people.
The two behind right now - wards 2 and 4, in North and West Columbia respectively.
At least two options propose moving the Park de Ville neighborhood by the Columbia Mall from ward 1 to ward 2.
That would move 1,100 people into the second ward.
The first ward saw some of the biggest growth in the city, according to the last census, which could partly be from new apartment complexes downtown.
There are a few differences in getting the fourth ward up to the 21,000 mark.
It could involve moving areas north of Nifong near Forum Boulevard from the fifth to fourth.
There's also a map that involves every ward having a piece move from one to the other.
The committee says none of the proposed changes would move current council members out of their wards, or affect people running for those seats this April.
