Yorkville City Council set to OK ward remap plan July 12

YORKVILLE – Aldermen in Yorkville are expected to approve a plan to alter the boundaries of the wards they represent.

The Yorkville City Council will vote on the ward remap plan at its July 12 meeting.

Council members reviewed the ward boundary changes at their regular meeting on June 28 but deferred action.

Mayor John Purcell and aldermen went through the formality of holding a public hearing on the proposed ward boundaries, but no member of the public asked to speak and Purcell closed the hearing in less than a minute.

Some residents will find themselves in a different City Council ward when they go to the polls to vote in next spring’s municipal election.

The purpose of the boundary adjustments is to make the population of each of the city’s four wards as nearly equal as possible.

The plan will shift boundaries primarily in the central and southern portions of the city, in order to bring the wards into compliance with the Constitutional principle of one person, one vote.

In the 2020 Census, Yorkville’s population increased to 21,533, up dramatically from the 16,921 tallied 10 years earlier.

Aldermen could have increased the number of wards and council members, but despite the population increase decided to remain at four wards with two aldermen each for an eight-member council.

Much of the population growth was on the north side of the city, particularly in the Grande Reserve subdivision.

The biggest changes are in store for Ward 2, which is the only ward to span both sides of the Fox River and covers the central part of the city. The ward would give up some areas and gain others.

A large portion of Ward 2 that extends to the southeast will become part of Ward 1, which is located solely south of the river.

The filing period for the spring 2023 municipal elections is expected to be in December of this year, with candidates able to circulate nominating petitions in September.

The new ward map must be approved 30 days before the start of the nominating petition process.

Council members whose term of office will expire next spring include Ward 1 Alderman Daniel Transier, Ward 2 Alderman Craig Soling, Ward 3 Alderman Chris Funkhouser and Ward 4 Alderman Jason Peterson.

Peterson is a candidate for a seat on the Kendall County Board from District 1 in the Nov. 8 general election. He was one of five Republicans who received their party’s nomination in the June 28 primary election.