Leesburg commissioners on Monday night reviewed a proposed plan for the redistricting of commission seats due to the rapid growth of The Villages and other developments in Leesburg.
The Villages has obtained enough property which has been annexed into the city limits of Leesburg to construct 14,000 homes when fully developed. Many of the new Villages homes will be located in the revised District 3.
The city reviews commission districts when the Census Bureau issues its report every 10 years. When a city has a significant surge in population the city can use a combination of data from the American Census Survey, building permits and persons per household data from the census bureau to determine the population growth for redistricting purposes in off years.
Commissioners will considered the following guidelines in reviewing the proposed 2026 commission districts:
- Districts should have as close to equal population as is possible using census data with a deviation of 3.5 per cent either way.
- Districts should follow significant boundaries and must be contiguous.
- Districts Must be as compact as possible.
- Districts should preserve communities of interest .
- Not dilute minority voting strength which could result in a minority majority district.
- Protect Incumbent districts.
- Avoid “bizarre” district boundary lines.
City Manager Al Minner applied the above criteria while working with his staff to present the proposed commission district map.
He also praised the suggestion of District 3 Commissioner Jay Connell for his suggestion to place the undeveloped portion of The Villages into District 3 which would aid in balancing the district’s population. Leesburg’s current population is now 32,573. The proposal aims for 6,514 persons in each district with no district larger than 6,710 persons nor smaller than 6,318 persons.
Commissioners expressed satisfaction with the plan and will vote on the redistricting plan after reviewing the new ordinance which the city attorney will draft. Once approved the new districts will be in place for the 2026 commission elections. Minner indicated that the city would review the district maps in 2030 when the new census figures are available.