Cape Girardeau City Council prepares to adjust ward map

A plan to redraw the city's ward map would shift nearly 900 Cape Girardeau residents into new voting districts, a once-a-decade adjustment required by city charter to reflect changes in population.

The proposed map, which will be presented to the Cape Girardeau City Council at its meeting Monday night, is based on 2010 census data that shows a population increase of 2,592 people in the last 10 years to a total of 37,941.

Most of the growth occurred in Wards 3, 4 and 6, according to assistant city manager Ken Eftink. That meant it was necessary to shift population from those wards to Ward 2 and Ward 5. Ward 1 remained relatively stable, he said, and does not need to be changed.

"The purpose of the wards is one person, one vote," Eftink said. "It's a basic democratic principle that we're trying to achieve. These wards need to have as close to the same number of people in them so each citizen is equally represented by their elected officials."

City staff used Census Bureau maps showing the population by block to compile the data and to make suggested changes, he said. The target population for each of the city's six wards is 6,353 people and the wards must be within 10 percent of that target, according to the charter. Each ward, under the proposal, is within plus or minus of 1 percent of the target population. A total of 879 residents, about 2.3 percent, will be affected by changes in their ward boundary.

According to the proposal, 251 people would be moved from Ward 4 to Ward 5, 390 people from Ward 3 to Ward 2, 215 people from Ward 6 to Ward 2 and 23 people from Ward 6 to Ward 5.

Wards 3, 4 and 6 saw varying degrees of growth, Eftink said. Ward 4, represented by council member Loretta Schneider, was home to several annexations, including the new Whispering Oaks subdivision. Ward 6, represented by Kathy Swan, saw increases in population near Dalhousie subdivision and along Bloomfield Road. New Southeast Missouri State University dormitories and its growing student population boosted the numbers in Ward 3, represented by Deb Tracy.

"The goal is to balance the wards," Mayor Harry Rediger said. "At first glance, they're fairly minor adjustments being recommended. I think we'll discuss them at the meeting Monday and see if any council member has any issues with what's being proposed."

With input from the council, Eftink said, staff will prepare an ordinance to adopt the new ward boundaries to be presented for a public hearing and first reading at the July 5 meeting. The schedule will provide time for the county clerk to update voting records, Eftink said.

With three council seats up for grabs next year, the new map is expected to be finished well before the deadline for candidates to file petitions for election. The period opens Oct. 25 and ends Nov. 22. The general election for city council wards 3, 4 and 5 is scheduled for April 3.

Two of the three council members up for re-election -- Tracy and Schneider -- said they are still considering whether they're going to run again. Council member Mark Lanzotti, who represents Ward 5, could not be reached for comment.

But Tracy, who has served on the council since 2005, said she may decide not to seek another term. She took over the Ward 3 seat when then-council member Jay Purcell won election to the county commission.

The biggest factor, she said, is changes to her work schedule. She has two jobs, one for the Cape Girardeau School District and the other as a lay pastor at a church in Poplar Bluff, Mo.

"I'm still debating, but I'm leaning against it," Tracy said. "It will be seven years by the time this next election comes around, and it just may be the right time to move on."

Schneider, however, said she's likely to run again.

"There's so many interesting things that we have going on. I have the opportunity, and I just don't want to give that up," she said.

Both said they like the ward system, despite calls in the past to go to an at-large system. The mayor is the only council member who is elected on an at-large basis.

"I think it's important for people to feel like they have a connection to their representative," Tracy said. "The constituent needs to know who they can go to, and having a council member that represents you provides that connectivity."

smoyers@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

401 Independence, Cape Girardeau, MO