New city ward boundaries get final approval from Ann Arbor City Council
A map showing Ann Arbor's newly redrawn ward boundaries in the downtown area, where the city's five wards meet. A handful of blocks from the 1st Ward (shown in yellow) were shifted around to other wards to accommodate changes in population. The wards are in numerical order going clockwise from the top.
Courtesy of City of Ann Arbor
City Clerk Jacqueline Beaudry proposed the reapportionment plan for the city's five wards based on 2010 U.S. Census numbers released in April.
The target population, based on census data, was 22,787 residents per ward. The approved plan reduces the size of the 1st Ward, which saw the strongest population growth, and increases the other four wards, coming within a percentage point of the target in each ward.
The proposed changes were prepared by the city clerk and city attorney's offices with support from the city's information technology staff.
Beaudry called the changes "minor" and noted the largest sections are going to the 3rd and 5th wards. She also noted some changes were made to the original reapportionment proposal following direction received at the July 5 council meeting.
The changes will take effect after the November general election.
Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's e-mail newsletters.