The boundaries of Salisbury’s election districts are set to change, reflecting the growth in population and new residential construction over the past decade.

Using data from the 2020 Census, the proposed new maps show a significant shift in some districts, offering a more even distribution of total population, racial demographics and property tax assessments, John O’Brien, Assistant Director Department of Information Services: GIS and Administration, told City Council members during a work session on Monday afternoon.

The maps were created without political influence or gerrymandering. “This is as straightforward an analysis as you get,” he said.

The city is not required to redraw election district boundaries after each Census, but it is considered best practice to do so, O’Brien said.

The realignment means the city will have three majority minority districts instead of two. Currently Districts 1 and 2 are minority districts, but if the maps are approved, District 4 will also have a slightly higher black population.

April Jackson is the only African American currently serving on the City Council, representing District 1 on the city’s West Side.

Mayor Jake Day said the new maps reflect the diversity in the city as shown in the recent Census. That report showed there was a 9.4 percent decrease in the local white population, with 49.1 percent white, 41 percent black, 5.1 percent Hispanic or Latino, 4.3 percent Asian and .5 percent other ethnicity.

The city’s first minority district was created in 1987 after the city’s previous at-large system was determined to be in violation of the federal Voting Rights Act. At the time, two districts were created, with two members elected from District 1 and three from District 2.

Following the 2010 census, city officials began work on drawing boundaries for five election districts, with one member elected from each district, in preparation for the 2015 election, but it was not an easy task.

“It was a painful, political, charged process,” said Day, who served on the City Council at the time.

The five-district system forced two incumbent council members, Jack Heath and Tim Spies, to run for the same seat in the 2015 election. Heath, who is the current council president, beat Spies 267-145.

For current City Council members, the proposed new maps keep them in the same districts they now represent. During Monday’s work session, none of them offered any objections to the proposed changes.

The City Council must first approve a charter amendment in order to establish the new election district boundaries. A public hearing – the first step in the process – is scheduled for April 25.

The next city election will be held in November 2023.