FROM STAFF REPORTS

Mooresville town commissioners got their first look this week at several options for redistricting the town’s wards.

The boundaries for the town’s wards, or voting districts, are redrawn every 10 years following the Census. When drawing the new boundaries, the consultant attempts to balance the number of residents in each of the town’s four wards.

In the latest redistricting effort, consultants have redrawn boundary lines in an effort to move residents from Ward 1 and Ward 4, which have more residents, to Ward 2 and Ward 3.

Commissioners directed Raleigh attorney Adam Mitchell, the consultant, to provide the board with three options that:

♦ Start with the boundaries of the existing wards;
♦  Follow natural boundaries such as major roads and creeks without breaking up neighborhoods;
♦  Keeps the Mill Village in the same ward; and
♦  Do not shift boundaries so that two current commissioners’ residences are in the same ward  

Existing Ward Map

Here is a map of the existing wards:

Options for Redistricting

The consultant provided the board with four options:

Next Steps

Commissioners asked the consultant to make some changes to Option A and bring them back to the next board meeting, which is scheduled for October 4. Once commissioners are satisfied with a plan, they will schedule and hold a public hearing before voting to approve the new ward boundaries.