Slightly more than 900 Prairie Village residents in two city wards will be impacted by a newly adopted city ward map.
The city council on Monday unanimously approved changes to the city’s ward boundaries with the aim of making the wards’ populations more equal following the 2020 U.S. Census, which is required by state law.
The city council was first alerted about potential boundary changes in May 2022, at which point city staff and the Johnson County Election Office began working on new maps.
Still, some critics — including, most notably, a former city councilmember — questioned the timing of the move this week, given that several Prairie Village City Council seats will be on this year’s ballot, amid a heated public debate over affordable housing recommendations.
Councilmember Courtney McFadden was absent from this portion of the meeting.
Growth in southern wards created an imbalance
- Population growth over the past decade, especially south of 83rd Street, created imbalances in Prairie Villages ward populations.
- Per state law, each of the city’s wards must be within 5% of 3,828 people total.
- State law also requires the percentage difference between wards’ populations to not exceed 10%.
- Currently, Ward 2 is 10.2% below the target of 3,828 people, Ward 4 is 8% below the target and Ward 5 is 14.3% above the target.
Residents in Wards 1 and 5 will be shifted to new wards
- Homes between Fonticello Street and Reeds Road to the east and west, and 69th to 71st streets to the north and south will shift from Ward 1 to Ward 2.
- This brings Ward 2’s population to 3,610 residents, slightly more than 5% below the city ward average, which is still allowed by state law.
- Homes between roughly Nall and Roe avenues and 83rd and 86th streets are moving from Ward 5 to Ward 4.
- That brings Ward 4’s population to 4,018 residents, which is 1.3% above the city’s ward population target.
- Deputy City Administrator Nickie Lee told the Post the city plans to send out notifications to impacted residents, including information about precinct changes prior to an election.
The changes take effect April 11
- This is, in part, to alert residents interested in running as a candidate in the 2023 election before the June 1 filing deadline.
- The Johnson County Election Office “has a strong preference” that ward boundary changes are revised before the filing deadline so it doesn’t interfere with an upcoming election, according to city documents.
- The timeframe for changing boundaries is also significantly limited by multiple state statutes.
- This includes one that would not have allowed changes to occur between 2017 and 2022 due to a “freeze period,” according to city documents.
View the city’s reasoning for why the changes are happening now on pages 42 to 45 of the following document:
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Open in new tab Why not wait until after 2023 elections?
- During public comments on Monday, former Ward 1 city councilmember Jori Nelson questioned the city’s intent to change the boundaries now ahead of the 2023 election cycle, especially given the recent debate over housing recommendations.
- Nelson urged the city wait to change the boundaries until 2024, after the end of the upcoming election cycle for which several incumbent councilmembers are facing contenders who have already filed to run.
- City documents show both city staff and Johnson County Election Commissioner Fred Sherman shared concerns about waiting until 2024, including the potential for residents not being represented by a councilmember they elected after ward maps are redrawn.
- Another concern was that residents living within a changed boundary would not have had the opportunity to cast a vote for or against their elected official.
- Ward 1 Councilmember Cole Robinson also noted if the city were to wait, the results could be challenged because the “wards [would not be] constitutionally balanced” and in compliance with state law.
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