Bartlesville on notice: Ward redistricting begins
The City of Bartlesville is proposing City Council ward changes to correct a population imbalance and take future ward growth into consideration. The changes could be adopted by ordinance at the next city council meeting March 6.
In his first public presentation, the city's new Director of Community Development Larry Curtis presented a draft of proposed modifications to ward boundaries at Monday's monthly city council meeting.
"It was important to ensure the wards are fair and balanced," said Curtis. "That way, one ward isn't represented more than another."
Under current boundaries, Ward 2 has the highest population, with 8,333 residents. That is nearly 1,200 more residents than Ward 4, the smallest at 7,164 residents, according to city staff.
All wards should see slight changes, but Wards 3 and 4 will exchange some territory downtown and Wards 3 and 5 will take areas away from Ward 2.
After these changes, city staff believes the wards will be more compact and contiguous and will be set for future development potential over the next 5 to 7 years.
City staff had been working on the proposal for months but needed to wait until the council elections were over before finalizing plans.
"It's been a team effort with the [information technology], engineering and community development departments," said Curtis.
After the presentation, the city council directed staff to inform the public about the proposed changes.
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Bartlesville on notice: Ward redistricting begins
