By Alyssa Schnugg
News editor
The Oxford Board of Aldermen approved the hiring of a local engineering firm to review the city’s voting wards.
Elliott and Britt Engineers submitted a proposal to review the current voting wards and make recommendations if the 2020 census data requires new boundary lines to be drawn as required by federal law.
According to the proposal, approved by the Board Tuesday during their regular meeting, Elliott and Britt Engineers will use 2020 Census data to determine the current population of each of the five voting wards.
If the population distribution exceeds 10% from the lowest to the highest wards, then the district lines will need to be redrawn to be in the acceptable range.
If the wards must be redrawn, the consultant will attend Board meetings and public meetings during the process and provide city legal counsel with documentation to prepare an ordinance establishing new wards.
According to the U.S. Census, Oxford’s population was 18,916 in 2010 and increased to 25,416 in the 2020 Census.
The estimated cost for Elliot and Britt Engineers’ review is $10,000-14,000.
The next municipal election will be in June 2025.
