ATHENS — It’s back to the drawing board for the city of Athens.
Well, rather, it’s actually the re-drawing board.
Because of a growing and moving population, the Athens City Council is proposing new City Council district lines.
City Attorney Shane Black provided an overview of the population changes and a summary of the re-districting process at Monday’s Council meeting.
The current district lines are based on the 2010 Census data that indicated Athens had a population of 21,897. The 2020 Census data indicates Athens has a population of 25,406.
Black said although the population likely is higher, based on housing trends, the Council has to utilize the most current Census data for re-districting.
District 2 in eastern Athens, experienced the most growth, followed by District 1, which is in the city center and to the east.
“If the Council does not move the district lines, the City of Athens will not be in federal compliance because the five districts will not have close to equal population,” Black said. “Each district must be within 10% or less, must be contiguous and must offer fair opportunity for the major minority.”
The major minority in Athens is the black population, at 17.02% of the city’s population.
Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks commended the City of Athens Planning Department for its work analyzing the Census data, accounting for annexations that have occurred since 2010, and drawing district lines along streets to more clearly define the districts, where possible.
The Council introduced the proposed district map and set a public hearing for May 13 at 4:30 p.m. at City Hall. The proposed map is on display in the foyer of City Hall.
To view the proposed map click here.
The proposed map is also on the City of Athens website at www.athensal.us. It is labeled a news item on the homepage, and is on the “City Council” tab and on the City Clerk’s page under “Municipal Election Information.”
Questions regarding redistricting can be sent to Holly Hollman at [email protected] or call 256-262-1399.
