Councilmanic Redistricting FAQ

Article II, Section 202(f) of the Howard County Code requires that the Council appoint a Councilmanic Redistricting Commission by April 1st of the year after each decennial census date. The most recent Commission was appointed on February 3, 2021.

To create the commission, the Council will adopt a resolution to assemble members for that commission. The commission includes seven members: three members named by the Central Committees of each political party that polled at least 25% of the total vote for the Office of the County Executive in the last preceding general election, and a Chairperson, all appointed by the County Council. The Council also appoints two alternates to the commission.

The County Charter requires the County Council to set a date by Resolution following the appointment of the Councilmanic Redistricting Commission by which the Commission must prepare a plan of Councilmanic Districts and present the plan to the County Council. The County Charter also requires the County Council to set a date by which if no ordinance re-establishing the boundaries of the Councilmanic Districts has been enacted, the plan submitted by the Commission to the County Council becomes law.

Due to the delay in delivery of data by the U.S. Census Bureau, the date by which the Commission must present a Councilmanic redistricting plan to the County Council, and the date by which the Commission plan becomes law if no ordinance establishing the boundaries of Councilmanic districts has been enacted, will be set by Council Resolution. Those dates have not yet been determined. In addition, the Commission will determine a public hearing schedule in the near future. Although not required, the Commission will hold one or more public hearings according to a schedule to be announced in late Spring. The projected delayed delivery of the data by several months and resultant compression of the time period within which the Commission will have to do its work, will inform the Commission’s decision on the number of hearings it may practically schedule. The County Council is required to have a public hearing on the Commission redistricting plan.

Council districts should be compact, contiguous, substantially equal in population, and have common interest as a result of geography, occupation, history, or existing boundaries. The Board of Supervisors of Elections will take any necessary steps to implement any revisions of the Council District Boundaries that are adopted.

No. According to the U.S. Post Office, ZIP Code assignments are closely linked to factors such as mail volume, delivery area size, geographic location, and topography.

No. The County Council has no authority over school redistricting issues and your Council District is not a factor that the Howard County Public School System considers.

If your Councilmanic District changes, you will have the opportunity to choose among the candidates who are running for County Council in your new district in the next election.

If my residence is redistricted into a district that is largely comprised of Columbia Association assessed properties, will I have to pay the CA assessment in the future?

No. There is a legal process for non-CA assessed land to become CA property. Essentially, the only way that the annexation process can begin is for the property owner to make an application for annexation to the Columbia Association.

If I am affected by redistricting this decade, will my property be exempt from redistricting in the future?

No. Following the decennial Census, Howard County must review Council district boundaries to ensure they reflect population changes which may be identified as the result of the Census data findings. There is no way to predict boundary shifts from decade to decade.

Not necessarily. There is no guarantee your current Council Member will run in the next election. If your current Council Member does run, there is no guarantee the Council Member will be reelected.

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