City rezones into 3 wards

PEA RIDGE — For 87 years, Pea Ridge has been divided into two wards and had four City Council members. In the wake of expansive growth, the city has been divided into three wards and is adding two more council members.

An ordinance redistricting the city was approved at the City Council meeting in May by council members as recommended by Jeff Hawkins, director of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission.

To continue the staggered terms of council members, there will be one two-year term initially and one fouryear term. The two-year term will thereafter be a four-year term.

The election will continue to be at large with all registered voters in the city limits voting for each municipal position.

The redistricting will not force any council member out of a seat. One council member, Cody Keene, will be in Ward 3 instead of Ward 2 and may elect to run for a two- or four-year term this year.

“I’ve done redistricting since back in the ’80s,” Hawkins said.

City attorney Shane Perry said Hawkins is an expert in redistricting according to a federal judge.

“Redistricting after this census has been very trying to say the least,” Hawkins said, explaining that census figures were released six months late because of covid restrictions and that House and Senate redistricting were four months late. He said redistricting of quorum courts and school districts was also required.

“We’re closing in to make sure 30 cities in Northwest Arkansas are in compliance,” Hawkins said. “I apologize for yours being toward the end of the list.”

Under the state statutes, the council has a duty to see that each ward has as nearly an equal population as would best serve the interests of the people of the city, he said.

Hawkins said differences less than 10% are legal.

“Our finding was that redistricting was necessary. Your deviation was 15%. It wasn’t the 112% that we ran into in Highfill,” Hawkins said.

Hawkins said he and his team prepared three alternative redistricting plans — one with two and the other two with three wards. The state statute also vests a city council with adding or removing wards.

Hawkins said the best estimate for the current city population is 6,631, nearly triple the 2000 population of 2,346.

“We considered redistricting in 2012 and again in 2018,” Hawkins said, adding that the decision in 2018 was to wait until after the 2020 census. “Here we are.”

“When we compared the alternative plans, Pea Ridge had several annexations that were pending,” he said, adding that Mayor Jackie Crabtree asked him to prepare the best recommendation with the annexations factored in.

Populations of the new wards are 2,271 in Ward 1, 2,168 in Ward 2 and 2,192 in Ward 3.

“This can be done without impacting the terms of current aldermen on the council,” Hawkins said. “The suggested ward boundaries are also drawn in such a way that if you annex the current islands … this plan would still be valid.”

He said the state strongly recommends the city to annex islands.

There will be four council positions on the ballot this fall, Hawkins added. Two will be new positions, and two will be current positions which will be expiring.

City Clerk Sandy Button asked about whether votes would be cast at large or by wards.

“The city made that determination, and they’ve been at large forever,” Hawkins said, explaining that the city could change that.

Council members voted to approve Ordinance 766 and redistrict the city.