Rochester moving ahead with ward boundary changes

(ABC 6 News) – The city of Rochester is proposing redistricting maps for ward boundary changes.

The process includes a series of virtual meetings, a survey, and a recommendation for the city council to vote on as early as March 21. There will be a mix of informative meetings and listening sessions in the weeks to come, creating an opportunity for the council to hear community feedback.

"Is there a community of interest that we need to be paying attention to? If so, we will do our best to keep them in one ward whenever possible," said Heather Heyer, management analysis with the city of Rochester.

"Most of the conversation this far has been about our BIPOC community members. But we have also had some feedback from neighborhood associations trying to keep them together in a ward rather than splitting up."

The upcoming virtual sessions are as follows:
• February 25, Noon-1:00 p.m. – Overview and Introduction to Draft Maps
• March 1, Noon-1:00 p.m. & 6:00-7:00 p.m. – Public Comment on Draft Maps
• March 3, 7:30-8:30 a.m. & Noon-1:00 p.m. – Public Comment on Draft Maps
• March 5, 9:00-10:00 a.m. – Public Comment on Draft Maps

The online Polco survey portal will be open until March 6. Directly following the March 6 open comment opportunity, the city will use the week of March 7 to finalize the recommended map. Then, based on community feedback, the finalized map will be brought to the city council on March 21, with a final deadline of no later than March 29.