The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1907-12-12
Members Of Council Taking Up a
Readjustment Of the Wards
Of the City Of Kenosha
T0C0RTR0L COUNTY BOARD
Plan for Subdividing the Third and
Fourth Wards Is Being Proposed
to the Mayor and Members
of the City Council

The question Of adding two more
wards 10 the city is being seriously
considered by mem bers of the Com
mon Council, and ii is not improbable
that this matter will come before the
Council in the shape Of an ordinance
within a very short time. The de-
mand for the division of at least two
of the wards in the city is becoming
insistent and it is thong hit that it will
be necessary Tor the city to act before
the close of another year. The plan
that is being suggested is the divid-
ing of the Third and Fourth wards so
as to make the new territory in these
wards into two new wards. The Third
ward is now twice as large as most Of
the wards in the city and the steady
growth of the city toward the south
west gives indication that within an
other year this ward will be most un-
wieldly and a new division of the city
is badly needed. The plan that is be-
ing urged is to leave the First, Sec
ond, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth
wards as they are at the present time
and make the changes in the Third
and Fourth, so dividing the territory
as to make four wards instead of two.
1t is thought that this division would
make ten wards in the city, all of
nearly the same size. During the
past two years large tracts of land
have been brought into the city from
the town of Pleasant Prairie and hun
dreds of voters have been added to
the Third ward in this way. The
diff culty of making more wards is the
fact that the number of the members
of the Common Council would be
largely increased, but this difficulty
could be met by passing an amend
ment to the charter by which each
ward would have one instead of two
representatives. and each of the alder
men would be elected for term of
two years.
The addition of the two wards
would make the position of the city
on the County Board much stronger,
as the city would then have ten mem
bers and the control of the Board and
it would be impossible for the country
members of the Board to vote appro-
priations of an unjust nature against
the city. 1t is limited, however, that
should there be redistricting of the
city by placing the two new wards,
the people of the village of Silver
Lake would seek incorporation, and
it is possible that the village of Will
mot would take similar steps. This
would again equalize the representa-.
ton Of the city and the rural dis
tricts, but there is some doubt as to
the attitude which members repre-
senting incorporated villages would
take, and it is possible that they
would be ready to stand with the city
members and the position of the city
would in this manner be further
strengthened.
In order to redistrict the wards of
the city or to add new wards it would
be necessary to submit the redistrict-
ing ordinance to the voters of the city
and it is thought that the public sem
timent would be favorab1 to the plan.
During the past year hundreds of vot-
ers have been brought into the city
by annexation and it is expected that
these new voters will cut quite little
figure in the coming municipal cleo
ton and their votes will offer a new
problem for the solution of the poll.
ticians.