Public Comments
The Town of Fort Mill is accepting public comments on a new Town Council Ward Map, which is scheduled for a public hearing and possible adoption at Town Council's January 9th, 2023 meeting. The new Ward Map is viewable at the following link: Click Here to View Map. The adoption of a new ward map is required by law and staff has worked with the South Carolina Department of Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office (SCRFA) to develop the draft map that meets all legal requirements.
To provide comment, please either submit a comment using our online form or attend Town Council's January 9th public hearing on the new map.
Background
Town staff has been working with the South Carolina Revenue and Fiscal Affairs office (SCRFA) to study and plan for the redistricting of the Town Council’s wards based upon the results of the 2020 Decennial Census.
SCRFA first developed a Redistricting Benchmark Report, which staff presented to Council at their March 14, 2022 meeting. The report outlines the current demographics of the existing Council ward geographies and discusses the path forward to developing a new ward map. After receiving input, staff reached back out to SCRFA to begin the process of developing a draft map for public review. Click Here to View Map.
The map was developed utilizing the following traditional redistricting principles:
- Wards will be drawn contiguously, so that all parts of the district or ward are connected to each other.
- Wards will be drawn to minimize the division of voting precincts.
- Wards will be geographically compact to the extent practicable, such that nearby areas of population are not bypassed for a more distant population.
- Wards will be drawn to comply with other applicable court decisions and federal and state laws.
- Wards will be drawn, when feasible, with respect to existing districts and communities of interests, which will require input from Council and the citizens.
- Wards will be drawn to give careful consideration to minority districts for compliance with Section 2 criteria of the Voting Rights Act
- Wards will be drawn to a deviation range of 5%
The adoption process follows the normal ordinance adoption process, which requires two readings and one public hearing. For more information, please contact Assistant Town Manager Chris Pettit at cpettit@fortmillsc.gov.