City of Rockford drafts preliminary boundary map, calls for input

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) - A shift in population recorded during the 2020 Census requires leaders of Rockford to adjust the boundaries of the current 14 wards.

The redistricting committee has recommended a preliminary redistricting map for consideration and public comment. After Friday, September 2, the committee will review and address any comments before voting on the approval of a final map.

A physical copy of the preliminary map is available in the Rockford City Hall lobby and at the East Branch, Montague Branch and the Hart Interim Branch of the Rockford Public Library.

The city is calling on residents to help in the process by emailing suggestions and concerns at redistrictingcommittee@rockfordil.gov, by mail to the mayor’s office or through the comment boxes available in city hall or the various branches of the library.

Before the next city election, Illinois law requires each ward to be nearly equal in population to ensure the “one person, one vote” principle of the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution.