After several opportunities for public input and a benchmark plan regarding redistricting the City of Petal’s six wards, the Petal Board of Aldermen is expected to soon accept a final plan that will see a slight shift in four of those wards.
The plan was re-visited at the March 21 board meeting by Michael Slaughter, founder of Slaughter & Associates Urban Planning Consultants in Oxford. The redistricting, which will likely be accepted at the April 4 meeting, will see wards 2, 4, 5 and 6 would need to be altered to ensure that each ward has approximately an equal number of residents so that each ward has the same representation when it comes to voting in elections.
“Every 10 years, we have a new decennial (United States) Census, and that requires that we take a look and see if our wards are out of balance when it comes to the “One Person, One Vote” principle,” Slaughter said. “The United States Constitution, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and other federal laws require equal distribution among the voting districts, or election districts, that we call wards.
“What that comes down to, is we take the total population of the city, divide that by the number of wards, and that gives us what we refer to as an ideal population, and then we make the calculations based off that.”
Under the plan, the area of Trussell Road and Corinth Road will move from Ward 5 to Ward 4. The area of East 7th Avenue and Hillcrest Road will move from Ward 4 to Ward 6.
Meanwhile, one side of Redfern Trail, which is currently in Ward 2, will move to Ward 5, as will Backwoods Trail.
In addition, under the plan, the area of Trussell Road and Corinth Road will move from Ward 5 to Ward 4. The area of East 7th Avenue and Hillcrest Road will move from Ward 4 to Ward 6.
The redistricting process is considered every 10 years, after each census. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, Petal’s population rose to 11,010, which is up 556 residents from the 10,454 counted in the 2010 U.S. Census.
In January 2022, it was determined the city would need to be redistricted so each ward can reach the ideal population of 1,838 to better comply with the one-person/one-vote principle according to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. At that time, Slaughter said the population variance of each ward should be at less than 10 percent, and preferably, less than 5 percent, of the ideal population.
The population and makeup of each of the wards is as follows:
- Ward 1: Total population is 1,857 with an ideal population of 1,838, for a variance of 19. White residents make up 67.7 percent of the ward, Black residents make up 19.6 percent, and “other” residents make up 12.7 percent.
- Ward 2: Total population is 1,898 with an ideal population of 1,838, for a variance of 60. White residents make up 77.8 percent of the ward, Black residents make up 14.1 percent, and “other” residents make up 8.1 percent.
- Ward 3: Total population is 1,888 with an ideal population of 1,838, for a variance of 50. White residents make up 77.3 percent of the ward, Black residents make up 12.2 percent, and “other” residents make up 10.5 percent.
- Ward 4: Total population of 1,678 with an ideal population of 1,838, for a variance of -160. White residents make up 73.1 percent of the ward, Black residents make up 16 percent, and “other” residents make up 5.7 percent.
- Ward 5: Total population of 2,024 with an ideal population of 1,838, for a variance of 186. White residents make up 88.8 percent of the ward, Black residents make up 5.5 percent, and “other” residents make up 5.7 percent.
- Ward 6: Total population of 1,681 with an ideal population of 1,838, for a variance of -157. White residents make up 65.7 percent of the ward, Black residents make up 22.1 percent, and “other” residents make up 12.3 percent.
“Things are pretty simple – there isn’t much change, but it does reflect the growth we’ve had,” Mayor Tony Ducker said. “There are not a ton of effects, but obviously we’ve had some growth out east and we’ve had to move some people around.
“As a matter of fact, I believe I am going to another ward where I live at.”
