Council committee discusses ward modifications

The Washington City Council?s committee on wards met Thursday afternoon to discuss redrawing the city?s ward boundaries. The Washington County General Information Services prepared seven possible maps for the committee to consider. Committee member Merle Hagie said the committee wanted the option that kept the boundary lines as straight as possible.

Hagie said the committee leaned in favor of map No. 6, which he said was very similar to the current map. He said the most significant difference between the current map and map No. 6 is the boundary between Ward 1, in the northwest part of town, and Ward 2, in the northeast part of town.

The current boundary between the two wards starts at the northern edge of Marion Avenue. It goes south for one block and then turns east for two blocks until it reaches Second Avenue, where it turns south for two blocks until 15

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Street, where it turns east for two blocks. It runs south on Fourth Avenue until Seventh Street, where it turns west for two blocks. It runs south on Second Avenue all the way to Madison Street, where it intersects with Ward 3.

Under the proposed map No. 6, the boundary would run south on Second Avenue from 17

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Street to Fifth Street, and then east two blocks till Fourth Avenue, and then south on Fourth Avenue till Madison Street.

Hagie said this does not affect the districts of any of the four councilors who represent a ward. Hagie and Karen Wilson-Johnson are the two at-large councilors. Hagie said that map No. 6 would change the ward he lives in from Ward 1 to Ward 2.

Hagie said he likes map No. 6 because it allows for growth in Ward 4, in the southwest part of town. Under map No. 6, Ward 4 would be the least populous ward with 1,775 residents. Ward 1 would have 1,828 residents, Ward 2 would have 1,814 residents and Ward 3 would have 1,849 residents.

Washington County Auditor Bill Fredrick said the city has until Sept. 1 to submit its new map to the Secretary of State. The Washington County Redistricting Commission meets at 1 p.m. Monday. Fredrick said he hopes the commission makes a recommendation to the city council about which map the commission prefers. Fredrick said the county has an interest in the city?s wards because it uses the boundary lines between wards as boundary lines between supervisor districts.

Fredrick said the council will need to move quickly to approve its map before Sept. 1. The council must hold a public hearing on the proposed map and pass an ordinance accepting the map.