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Council to hold public hearing on possible ward changes after redistricting review
Summary
Council discussed options to change Bloomfield's ward structure (currently three wards) and agreed to place a public hearing on the next agenda so residents can weigh in on whether to move to at-large seats or alter wards; staff said ordinance change can avoid a special election cost if council acts.
The council received an update on redistricting options and agreed to solicit public comment through a hearing at the next meeting to consider changing the city's ward structure.
S3 summarized legal and administrative options including changing the ordinance to allow five at-large seats instead of three geographic wards — a change staff said could be accomplished without a costly special election if the council initiates it. "City Of Bloomfield has 3," S3 said in describing the current setup; councilors discussed representation trade-offs, equipment and ballot-machine impacts and whether petition-driven elections would offer a different route. Several members emphasized listening to residents before deciding.
S3 said staff will add a public hearing to the next agenda and prepare materials explaining the trade-offs and likely timeline for an ordinance change.
