Pell City invites residents to voter redistricting hearing
Published 5:00 am Thursday, May 12, 2022
- This is the proposed map that will be voted upon. City Manager Brian Muenger and others with the city went through seven versions to come to this final draft. Photo provided by the City of Pell City.
A public hearing will be held on Monday, May 23 at 5:30 p.m. to further discuss voter redistricting plans in Pell City. Residents are invited to come out and voice any concerns about how their district will be affected.
Every ten years after the census, a new district map of the city is created. At least six months before the city election, a final map must be approved after adjustments have been made.
Trending
A change in redistricting could affect what district people fall into which decides who represents them on the council. The redistricting does not affect voting locations because there is only one poll place in Pell City.
City Manager Brian Muenger said as the population changes, so will district blocks to account for houses that have been added. He estimated that the city has had an addition of about 300 houses in just the last couple of years.
Districts are set by blocks, but they are erratic and are formed on a basis that is decided by the Census Bureau. However, the city is allowed to slightly adjust those districts for any issues that may come up.
Muenger said they’ve been able to preserve and improve the minority district of Pell City, which means largely, that area will be able to solidly choose the council person that best represents them.
People have largely been kept in their same geographic areas and tried to keep from subdividing areas completely, according to Muenger.
“I think it might be somewhat of an unrealistic expectation to think that nobody is going to be put in a new district because that’s antithetical to what redistricting is.”
Trending
However, Muenger said they did not seek to randomly assign people to other districts or flip neighborhoods. This is a complicated process that is largely determined by the census and must follow state code.
The final map the city has come to had been adjusted several times before being considered for approval. A copy of the proposed map can be found at https://pell-city.com/.
