The Zionsville Town Council has passed a resolution for adopting the guidelines for redistricting. Redistricting determines which constituents are represented by respective Town Council members based on their residential addresses within the Town of Zionsville.
Redistricting of Town Council districts last occurred in 2019. After the census every 10 years, Indiana code requires Town Council to redraw its legislative districts so that each district is substantially equal in population. This process is important to ensure that each Town Council member represents the same number of constituents.
Indiana Code section 36-5-2-4.1 establishes the minimal criteria for the redistricting process for a town including the following standards:
- The district must be composed of contiguous territory.
- The district must be reasonably compact.
- The district does not cross a census block boundary except in specified circumstances.
- The district must contain, as nearly as possible, equal population.
- The district may not cross precinct lines except in specified circumstances.
The Town Council’s redistricting guidelines can be found at www.zionsville-in.gov/redistricting. Zionsville currently has five council districts. To ensure equal representation, each of Zionsville’s districts needs to have a population of about 6,120.
Residents have until November 29 at noon to submit objections or written comments to Municipal Relations Coordinator Amy Lacy regarding the Council’s redistricting guidelines. The deadline for residents to submit their own plans is December 2 at noon to Municipal Relations Coordinator Amy Lacy. A public hearing to review the draft plan and adopt the first reading of an ordinance preliminarily approving a plan is December 7 at 7:30 a.m. at Zionsville Town Hall.
“It’s vital that we undergo the redistricting process and allow the public to provide input so that each Town Council member represents the same number of voters,” said Mayor Emily Styron. “Through the redistricting process, we ensure that our community members have equal access to representation in their town government.”
“Zionsville has consistently had fair and equitable Council districts since our founding,” said Town Council President Jason Plunkett. “It’s one of the many reasons why our citizens have been engaged in the growth of our town. We will continue in that approach as we evaluate our districts per our Town organization guidelines.”