A number of voters in Fairy Meadow, Figtree and Farmborough Heights will have to vote in different wards at the next Wollongong council election, under a new proposal.
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According to a report to next week's meeting, changes are needed to balance the number of voters in the three wards.
The council will be in breach of the NSW Local Government Act if it does not change the boundaries before the 2020 election.
At present, there are nearly 6,000 more voters in the central Ward 2 than in the southernmost Ward 3.
To fix this, almost all of Farmborough Heights will move into the southern ward.
Under the new proposal, Ward 1 will have 52,963 voters, Ward 2 will have just over 50,000, and Ward 3 will have 49,965.
"Disproportionate ward size creates a risk to the principle of an equal vote for eligible electors," council staff said.
Councillors will be asked to vote to place the proposal on public exhibition.
The plan will then return to a future council meeting before being adopted.
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Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
