City Council asks for district map feedback

Does this potential Columbus City Council district map look fair to you?

• Local officials are seeking public comment through Nov. 6 on the latest draft maps for Council's new district boundaries.

Catch up quick: Council currently has seven members serving "at-large," meaning they can reside anywhere and each represent the whole city.

• Voters opted to change the system through a 2018 charter amendment to create residential districts and add two more seats.

Why it matters: Geographic districts will ensure Columbus residents have a representative on Council from roughly their neck of the woods, and ideally that member shares residents' interests and concerns at City Hall.

The latest: The Council Residential Districting Commission recently presented the next slate of draft maps, taking in 2020 Census data and feedback from earlier drawings.

• The Commission drew three potential maps with a mandate of keeping neighborhoods together in a given district.

By the numbers: The nine districts will each have roughly 100,000 constituents.

What's next: The Commission will release one more round of draft maps in mid-November, followed by a public town hall in December.

• Commission members will then submit three possible maps to Council, which will vote on a preferred map before the end of 2021.
• The new districts will go into effect for the Council elections in 2023.