By Stuart Foster, Contributing Writer
WESTBOROUGH – Westborough would add an additional, sixth precinct to the west of
downtown under a proposed redistricting plan approved by the Select Board on Oct. 26.
All cities and towns are required to redraw their voting districts into roughly equally-sized ones in accordance with the release of new census data every ten years.
“The additional precinct has caused a move of several streets in each precinct to balance the population in each precinct,” Town Clerk Wendy Mickel said at that Oct. 26 meeting.
This precinct would pull primarily from precincts 3, 4 and 5 to delineate an area bisected, in part, by West Main Street, according to the map approved by the Select Board.
Mickel said that the new precinct would require a budget transfer to purchase new supplies.
Mickel said she planned to meet with the Westborough Advisory Finance Committee to discuss the transfer, which she estimated would total around $30,000.
This would be a one-time cost, she said, although there would be a slight increase going forward because more people would be required to work at this additional precinct.
The map that Select Board members approved last month was based on an initial proposal drawn up by state officials. It did feature one change, though, after Mickel proposed correcting a precinct line that would have divided a condominium complex at Lake Chauncy.
That line was moved to match up with Lyman Street to correct that issue, Mickel said.
“Everything looks good and ready to go,” Mickel said on Oct. 26 as she presented that revised map.
The proposed changes were sent to the Local Election District Review Commission for final approval. New precinct maps will go into effect on Dec. 31, meaning they will impact
Westborough’s town elections in March.
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