City close to finalizing new boundaries for city council, school board districts

2 years ago 244

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville has added much than 100,000 radical successful the past 10 years. The latest Census told america that and present the metropolis has to alteration its boundaries for metropolis assembly and schoolhouse committee districts.

The process happens each 10 years and the metropolis is adjacent to mounting the caller boundaries.

When you look astatine the maps they whitethorn not accidental overmuch connected the aboveground but what they are showing is however the layout of Jacksonville’s colonisation has changed. That’s wherefore we could spot a displacement successful who represents you connected the metropolis council. The imaginable changes person Julie Cocke, who lives successful the Mandarin area, concerned.

“I don’t similar each of this redistricting and changing everything each the time. It doesn’t beryllium good with maine and I cognize what it’s for and I don’t similar that,” Cocke said.

In a gathering Monday afternoon, a metropolis assembly committee approved a program to spell guardant with changes successful metropolis assembly and schoolhouse committee districts.

As parts of municipality turn astatine antithetic rates, districts get redrawn, to equilibrium it retired and marque the colonisation of each territory arsenic akin arsenic possible.

That’s led to immoderate important shifts, particularly connected the Southside astir the St. Johns Town Center and UNF arsenic good arsenic successful the Bartram area, and connected parts of the Northside.

And arsenic immoderate areas turn much dilatory the districts are broadened retired to bring successful much people.

Councilmember Brenda Priestly Jackson is connected the committee which approved the preliminary maps connected Monday. News4JAX asked her astir the fearfulness that immoderate person that the boundaries would beryllium drawn to payment a peculiar contention oregon governmental party.

“That was my guiding interest to marque definite that each populations were represented and each territory successful Jacksonville,” she said. News4JAX asked her if lines were drawn to springiness much powerfulness to a peculiar campaigner oregon party.

“To beryllium honorable I did not spot that,” Priestly Jackson responded.

As a nationalist observer, Phillip Miner has been watching these proceedings closely. He wants to reappraisal the maps adjacent more.

“My wide anticipation is that the voting powerfulness of some of the parties presently volition not beryllium watered down oregon different diminished with the caller drawings,” Miner said.

And aft 3 hearings with the public, and a last ballot from metropolis council, the maps could go world sometime successful the spring.