Selectmen to Vote on Redistricting, Precinct Changes

Six out of the seven precincts will change borders effective at the end of 2011, if the Board of Selectmen approve changes at a meeting Thursday, Town Clerk Paul Munchbach said this week.

Munchbach laid out the map suggested by state officials that would most likely receive approval from a state committee that oversees redistricting of local towns in Massachusetts.

The town must re-evaluate its borders every 10 years after census results are released.

By law, each precinct must contain no more than 4,000 residents, and be within plus or minus 5 percent of all other precincts.

The state proposed changing Precinct 2 to the natural border of the Charles River – therefore establishing Riverdale as solely Precinct 2.

The most changes would happen to Precinct 4, which would lose several blocks between Mt. Vernon Street and Oakdale Square.

Some neighborhoods moved from Precinct 1 to precincts 4 and 2. The addition of two apartment complexes and Hebrew Senior Life led to the changes to Precinct 1, comprised largely of Upper Dedham and Dedham Square.

Currently, Precinct 1 stretches to Court Street, but under the proposed map, it would end at Highland Street, and give the area between Pleasant Street and the Charles River to Precinct 2.

There is a difference of 450 residents between the current Precinct 1 lines, and the ones proposed – enough to cause a 16.5 percent variance from a precinct’s target population of 3,533.

While the map changes won’t affect much, Munchbach said the town is awaiting final word on how it will impact next April’s Town Meeting election.

Thirteen current members are affected by the proposed changes.

One Precinct 6 member would be considered a Precinct 3 resident, and 12 members in Precinct 4 would become residents of precincts 5 and 6, Munchbach said.

After redistricting in 2000, all Town Meeting members in changed precincts had to rerun for their seats in the following election. If that were to repeat this time around, 234 members would be on the April 2012 ballot.

Munchbach said he would seek advice from the attorney general’s office.