Jackson's Board of Aldermen unanimously approved the map for the city's four wards Monday — a move necessitated by population increases noted in the 2020 U.S. Census.
Jackson grew more than 12.5% since 2010, requiring shifts in ward boundaries in the seat of Cape Girardeau County.
The city grew from 13,758 to 15,481 residents in a decade.
Jeremy Tanz, executive director of the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning Economic Development Commission, based in Perryville, said aldermen made no changes in the map from the preliminary presentation made to them Oct. 18.
The Commission, which serves a seven-county region including Cape Girardeau County, presented a proposal Oct. 18 to increase the number of residents in redrawn Ward 1 and correspondingly decrease them in Wards 2, 3 and 4.
The purpose, said Tanz, was to bring the four wards into as close a numerical alignment as practically possible.
"The percentage deviation between the lowest populated ward and the highest cannot exceed 10%, so this guided us in drawing the map," he said. "We try to get as close to zero (difference) as possible."
New ward population counts are as follows:
Tanz said the largest percentage increase in population, 14.4%, was found in Ward 3.
The smallest percentage gain, 11.8%, was seen in Ward 4.
Tanz pointed out the variables the commission staff took into consideration in its work.
"We start with the existing wards and see how far out of balance they are with the 2020 population figures and try to make minor adjustments to bring them under the less-than-10% required compliance," he explained.
"We try not to recreate the wheel unless necessary because we'd prefer to draw the map in such a way as not to disrupt where people are already comfortable voting, when residents have become accustomed to a trash pickup day, that sort of thing."
Tanz pointed out the roads serving Jackson — highways 72, 61, 34 and 25 — are generally the "start points" for any reimagining of ward boundaries.
SEMO Regional Planning has also redrawn the three wards in Perryville, which grew by 330 people since 2010 to 8,555 residents, according to the census.
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