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Committee proposes redrawing Hermiston ward boundaries after each census to equalize populations
Summary
The committee recommends removing fixed ward maps from the charter and directing the city council to redraw ward boundaries following each decennial census, citing current population disparities; proposed charter language calls for wards of approximately equal population and continuous boundaries.
Committee members identified notable population disparities across Hermiston's existing wards (example figures cited by staff: Ward 1 ~4,200; Ward 2 ~7,400) and recommended that fixed ward boundaries be removed from the charter so the council can adopt an ordinance to redraw wards after each decennial census.
Mr. Smith summarized the proposed language the committee discussed: "The city shall be divided into four wards of approximately equal population," and the draft requires that each ward have a continuous boundary, with principles of neighborhood grouping, compactness and regularity applied "in so far as can reasonably be attained." Committee members said the change would allow more timely adjustments after population shifts without requiring a charter amendment each time.
Residents at the hearing asked how the council will preserve neighborhoods of shared interests and guard against unnecessary splitting of communities; committee members said the charter language and any council ordinance can set criteria (compactness and neighborhood groupings) and that residents could still use referendum mechanisms if they objected to a council-adopted map.
The committee recommended the council adopt an ordinance governing redistricting and set the map based on population following each census; implementation details would be determined by the council if it moves the draft forward.
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