Little Rock board to consider new ward boundaries tonight

FILE — Little Rock City Hall is shown in this 2019 file photo.
FILE — Little Rock City Hall is shown in this 2019 file photo.

The Little Rock Board of Directors is scheduled to vote on a resolution to adopt a new map of the city's seven wards at a meeting this evening after the resolution was added late to the meeting agenda.

Residents in each ward elect an individual to the city board. The board's structure also provides for three at-large representatives who are elected citywide. Redistricting takes place every 10 years following the nationwide census to account for population changes between the wards. 

City board members in October voted to give responsibility for the redistricting process following the 2020 census to City Manager Bruce Moore, who pursued a less-radical ward restructuring plan compared to one of two maps initially put forward by Mayor Frank Scott Jr.

Scott had signaled he favored more substantial changes to the ward boundaries.

According to Little Rock Planning Manager Walter Malone, minor changes were made to the boundaries of wards 1, 3 and 4 in light of public comments on the proposed map.

An area north of Cantrell Road from Interstate 430 to Jimerson Creek would remain in Ward 3, instead of Ward 4, and an area east of South Pine Street that runs along West 12th Street up to Interstate 630 would remain part of Ward 1, instead of shifting to Ward 3, Malone said via email Tuesday.

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