SIOUX FALLS, SD (KELO AM) The population explosion in Sioux Falls means it's time for a fresh look at the five council districts to make sure the citizens continue to get equal representation.
City Council is expected to appoint a five-member redistricting commission to help adjust boundaries to ensure that each district has approximately equal amounts of people.
Of course, the devil is in the details.
"Its all simple until you start going: how do you get those equal five parts? So that's why we do it as an open, transparent discussion," says Chief City Planner, Jeff Schmitt, who will help kick off the discussion at City Council's information session Monday, February 6 at 4 p.m.
The recently announced Sioux Falls population estimate of 178,500 represents a 16 percent increase since the last redistricting in 2011. An increase of 15 percent or over requires a new look at the districts.
Schmitt says this process should be of very practical concern to the citizens.
"They would hate to have happen somewhere down the road, they'd go: what do you mean you never looked at this and now my council is the small one and they've got this council over here that's representing all these people, or vice versa," says Schmitt.
There are nine members on Sioux Falls City Council - one for each of the five districts and four at-large.