Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant proposed a redistricting plan at a special board meeting today that would reduce the size of the Will County Board from 26 to 21 members.
Increasing Districts, Decreasing Reps
Currently, Will County is made up of 13 districts, each with two county board representatives. The new proposal increases the number of districts to 21, but reduces each district’s reps to one.
“We set out to create a fair and equitable map that saves taxpayer dollars by reducing the number of board members and removes politics from the process,” Bertino-Tarrant said via a press release. “Our plan reflects districts that are near equal in number of residents and keeps neighborhoods and communities with similar needs and interests together.”
The districts are similar in population, all between 33,000 and 34,000 residents. Those population numbers are not based on the 2020 Census, which hasn’t yet released data, but the American Community Survey.
Regular Redistricting
A press release states that redistricting is a standard practice at the county level every ten years, to coincide with a new census.
“This is an opportunity to realign our county and prepare for our anticipated growth,” Bertino-Tarrant said, “Will County is likely to reach more than 1 million residents by our next census and we want to ensure we have board districts that reflect the continued growth.”
Parts of Naperville make up district 19 and part of district 18.
Naperville News 17’s Casey Krajewski reports.
If you have a story idea or news tip you want to share, we want to hear from you!