Residents will soon have a chance to provide input on Chatham-Kent’s ward boundaries and council composition.
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Back in May, council approved pursuing a review, with the goal of ensuring the municipality “can provide an effective and equitable system of representation for all residents,” stated a release Thursday.
“Chatham-Kent has grown and evolved since the current ward boundaries were drawn 25 years ago at amalgamation,” it stated.
This review will aim to design a council and ward boundary structure that considers the current municipality and expected population growth through the 2026 and 2030 elections.
It will examine the size and structure of council, how councilors are elected, electoral ward boundaries, as well as look into representation by population, current and future population, communities of interest, physical boundaries and geography.
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Two initial public engagement sessions are planned: Aug. 22 and Aug. 28, at the John D. Bradley Convention Center from 6-8 pm in meeting room 1A.
The in-person meetings will be live-streamed on the municipality’s Facebook and YouTube channels. In-person attendance will be capped at 150 people.
There is also an online survey going live Aug. 22 on Chatham-Kent’s Let’s Talk Page, found at the link below.
Recommendations from the municipality’s consultant, StrategyCorp, are expected in December. However, council will have the final say on implementing any changes.
Previous Chatham-Kent councils, including in 2015, have discussed tweaks to ward boundaries and the number of councilors, but ultimately stayed with the status quo.
In 2011, council voted down proposed boundary changes, after a governance task force was struck to consider the issue. The matter was also the topic of a corporate review in 2008.
For more information on the review, and how to get involved, visit https://www.letstalkchatham-kent.ca/council-composition-and-ward-boundary-review
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