The Parkville Board of Aldermen last week approved revisions to the city’s ward map.
Parkville is a fourth class city and is divided into four wards, with two aldermen representing each ward. The Parkville Municipal Code states that each ward shall be roughly proportionate, but may vary as growth, development and other changes affecting the population occur.
The U.S. Census Bureau recently released it 2020 decennial data and the city is required to draw new ward boundaries to take into account new growth in the community and to create wards containing a balanced population.
The board of aldermen approved the revised ward map Tuesday, Nov. 16 prior to candidate filing in December so the new boundaries would be effective for the April 5, 2022, general municipal election. This will allow interested candidates to file for open seats in the new ward boundaries.
The ward map was last updated in November 2004 when the most recent census population was 5,054. The Census Bureau’s data shows Parkville’s total population is 7,117 (40.8% increase). Since 2004, there has been substantial growth within the community with the addition of new residential subdivisions and multi-family developments, especially in the western half of the city.
An ad hoc committee was tasked with deciding how to best revise the ward map to keep neighborhoods together in the same ward and to make the wards more proportionate to one another by population. Members reviewed the ward boundaries and developed a scenario using 2020 Census data and building and occupancy permit records that account for recent growth since April 1, 2020, when the census was taken.
Recommendations were presented to the board in October. The city also held an informational open house in late October to give the public an opportunity to review the proposed map and to answer questions about the revisions. The revised ward map keeps neighborhoods together in the same ward and makes the wards more proportionate and balanced in terms of population. The large amount of population growth in western Parkville resulted in the placing of the entire area in a single ward.
“Many thanks to our ad hoc committee who reviewed and made recommendations to revise the city’s ward map,” said mayor Nan Johnston. “The new ward map puts subdivisions and neighborhoods with similar characteristics into the same ward, which will be represented by two aldermen who will represent their interests both on matters related to the ward and the community as a whole.”
A copy of the ward map may be found on the website at parkvillemo.gov. For more information, call Stephen Lachky at (816) 741-7676.