Georgetown, Del., Aug. 23, 2011: Residents and property owners are getting their first look at proposed maps for Sussex County Council’s five districts, and once again, the public will have its chance to weigh in on the proposal as the County’s decennial redistricting process moves forward.

County Attorney J. Everett Moore Jr. on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011, presented to County Council a vision – influenced by public suggestions offered earlier this summer – of how the lines for Council’s districts should be drawn for the decade ahead. The boundaries must be reviewed every 10 years, following the federal census, and adjusted to account for any population shifts.

Mr. Moore presented a set of proposed maps that will be available on the County’s website for the public to view, beginning today. The public can then submit comments, either electronically or by standard mail, for a 10-day period. Following that, Mr. Moore will report back to Council at Sept. 13 County Council meeting before a formal ordinance and final draft maps are introduced for Council consideration and action later this fall.

By law, the County must adjust its Council districts – a process known as redistricting – following each decennial census to equally distribute the population among the five County Council districts. Based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010 population results for Delaware, Sussex County’s population increased nearly 26 percent between 2000 and 2010, from 156,638 residents to 197,145 residents.

Given those figures, each Council district must be within plus or minus 5 percent of an ideal population of 39,429 residents, containing no fewer than 37,458 residents and no more than 41,401 residents.

Sussex County’s five-member County Council is the legislative body of County government, with members elected from individual districts. Each member serves a four-year term.

Based on Mr. Moore’s proposed maps presented Tuesday, the first, second and third Councilmanic districts would have to be adjusted to account for population increases, particularly in eastern portions of the county. The fourth and fifth districts would remain largely unchanged.

Copies of the proposed maps are available online by visiting the County’s website at sussexcountyde.gov and clicking on the ‘Draft County Council District Maps’ link on the right side of the main page.

As was the case when the redistricting process began in late June, the public is invited to offer comments on the proposed maps. The public can submit comments by email to redistricting@sussexcountyde.gov, or by standard mail. Letters should be addressed to the Clerk of the Sussex County Council, PO Box 589, Georgetown, DE 19947.

Written and email correspondence will be accepted through 4:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2.

The proposed maps and ordinance will be subject to a public hearing later this fall. Notice of that meeting will be advertised in advance.

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