The nine-member council agreed to a redistricting plan at their work session Monday night. The proposed changes were endorsed unanimously in a straw vote. Council will vote on adopting the plan at its regular meeting Monday night. The biggest changes in the boundaries are proposed for wards 3 and 4, where the heart of the population boom occurred. Ward 4, from 3,140 to 4,135.
State law requires that populations within council wards be made as nearly equal as possible.
Tober said the new boundaries equalize the population about as close as you can get. Details on the proposed new boundary lines are available for inspection on a map at City Hall. Once adopted by council, the new boundaries must be submitted to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. Voting locations for the November election could change due to the new ward districts. The city has to set the wards, but the board of elections determines the precincts, and the precincts determine where people vote, Tober said.