Broken Arrow City Council
Meeting of: June 6, 2022
Title:
title
Consideration, discussion, and possible approval of Broken Arrow City Council Ward Boundaries, based on 2020 U.S. Census and authorize the drafting of a Resolution and Ordinance accepting the same
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Background:
The existing City Council Ward Boundaries for all four wards were conceptually approved by the City Council on August 2, 2011. Subsequently the current ward boundaries were approved by the City Council on September 20, 2011. Ordinance No. 3179 was approved by City Council on October 4, 2011, confirming the current ward boundaries.
The United States Census population count for Census 2020 lists Broken Arrow's population at 113,540 on April 1, 2020. The latest census data allows cities to realign wards, as necessary, taking into account population shifts that have occurred over the last decade. One of the reasons for redistricting, as required through federal guidelines, is to assure that no particular ward or voting district is under or overrepresented in population and is in compliance with the "one-person, one-vote" principle as established through the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
During the last decade, between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the City of Broken Arrow's population grew by almost 14,690, which is a 14.8 percent increase. Broken Arrow is the fourth largest in Oklahoma and ranked 267 in the Country according to the U.S. Census.
Ward redistricting generally occurs once every 10 years, after the census. For a fast-growing community like Broken Arrow, Ward Boundaries have been aligned with expected future growth, to maintain an appropriate balance as much as possible for the following decade, while following established criteria used over the last four redistricting procedures.
CRITERIA FOR ESTABLISHING CITY WARD BOUNDARIES
In an effort to maintain consistency and follow federal and state guidelines, the City of Broken Arrow has followed redistricting parameters, which were first appr...
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