Prompted by population increase, Sycamore ward maps redrawn

SYCAMORE – After waiting two weeks for more resident feedback and receiving none, the City of Sycamore approved a new ward map this week, a move prompted by a growing citywide population.

The original vote on the ward map change was scheduled Jan. 3, but was tabled for two weeks to give time for local residents to weigh in. After no additional input was heard, the City Council unanimously voted 7-0 to pass the new ward map Tuesday.

The map outlines which residents are represented by which aldermen, including the amended ward boundaries following the population shift recorded by the 2020 census.

“The redistricted map is not supposed to show how Sycamore might grow, but how Sycamore has grown,” according to city agenda documents.

The last time Sycamore’s ward boundaries were changed was June 20, 2011, after the 2010 census, according to city documents. Results from the 2020 census showed an overall countywide decline, one that wasn’t felt in Sycamore, however.

Sycamore’s population increased by about 1,000 over the past decade, census data shows, while DeKalb city’s population dropped by about 3,500.

[ DeKalb County drops 4K in overall population, per new U.S. Census data ]

Political boundaries at various levels – including city councils, county boards, state legislatures and Congress – generally change every 10 years following the census. Wards are supposed to have equal population counts within their geographical areas.

City wards must be amended after a census reveals a certain population change, under the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, according to the Illinois Municipal League.

According to the new map, ward lines will be drawn so residents on both sides of a street are in the same ward, as outlined below: