New County Council Districts Will Reflect Population Shifts

The St. Charles County Council is taking on a southwestern flavor.

“Everything is shifting south and west,” said Tom Kuypers, a Republican member of the county’s Redistricting Committee. “The population center is right along Highway K near Highway N (in O’Fallon).”

The St. Charles County Council districts will have new boundary lines that are based on the 2010 Census results, which showed more of the county's population is in the west. 

The Redistricting Committee submitted recommendations for the new boundary lines during the council’s meeting Monday.

The council has 10 days to consider the proposal and approve it or return it to the committee. The council will call a special meeting within 10 days to decide which course to take.

County Counselor Joann Leykam said if the maps are sent back to the committee, the members have until Nov. 30 to make changes. The committee is not obligated change the recommendations.

County council members opted not to vote on the changes Monday.

“They took weeks to put this together, and we’ve had just an hour to look at this,” said Council Chairman Joe Brazil, R-District 2, of Defiance.

St. Charles is split into three districts under the proposed changes. Everyone in the city living north of Interstate 70 would be in District 1. Residents who live southeast of Hackman Road and Country Club Road would be in District 7. Residents who live south of Interstate 70 but northwest of Hackman Road, Country Club Road and Highway 94 would be represented by District 5.

See who represents those districts here.

Committee members said their primary goal was to keep population numbers as close to the ideal number—51,498—as possible. Under the proposal, the district with the biggest population, District 4, is just 1 percent larger than the district with the smallest population, District 2.

Committee members said they also tried to keep the current council members in their current districts to avoid having a district unrepresented for a period of time. The boundaries will affect the next council election after they are approved.

“As far as my district is concerned, the new boundaries make more sense than the old ones,” said Councilman Joe Cronin, R-District 1, of St. Paul.

The committee is recommending Highway 79 as the District 1 eastern border and Interstate 70 as a north-south border for nearly the entire county.

North vs. South

A couple of minor items were questioned, including two sections on both ends of the county that dipped south of Interstate 70.

An audience member, Anita Foelsch, questioned why an area just south of I-70 was placed in District 6, which is almost entirely north of the I-70. The area includes the .

Brazil also questioned why the Foristell area south of I-70 was placed in District 1 instead of keeping it in District 2.

Brazil and Foelsch received similar answers.

Democrat committeeman Gary McKiddy said they did that to make the district populations more equal.

Committee members said that they were not allowed to split census blocks, which often are irregular shapes and sizes.

“You might have a census block with 1,400 people next to a census block with three people,” said Republican committee member Dave Evans.

The committee is comprised of three Democrats and three Republican members. McKiddy, Mark Miles and Jackie Hosack are Democrats. Kuypers, Evans and Burt Biermann are Republicans.