Milton council to hold off discussion on districts until June

Milton Town Council is putting off discussion on whether to pursue a plan to create town council districts until June.

Discussion of the possibility of council districts started in October as a way to try to improve geographic balance on council as new, large developments begin to come online and as a way to provide stronger neighborhood representation. That first meeting included a presentation from John Laznik of the University of Delaware’s Center for Applied Demography and Survey Research as to how a council district system could work and what it could look like. Council has continued discussion into 2026, and has reached a point where members need to decide if they want to pursue the matter further. 

At council’s March 2 meeting, Mayor John Collier presented two packets that distilled council members’ questions down to a frequently asked-questions sheet and proposed charter language for how a district system could work. 

The proposal would be to create three geographic districts that would each elect two council members, with the mayor being an at-large seat voted on by all voters. That would keep the balance of council at seven members. Under this proposal, voters would only vote for their two council seats plus the mayor. Each district would include 1,100 to 1,200 residents based on U.S. Census data. 

Under the proposal, the transition to a district system would be gradual; current members would serve out their terms. As terms expire, those seats will be converted to district-based positions. Collier said it would take at least three election cycles, if not more, before the system would be fully implemented. District boundaries would be reviewed after each 10-year census.

If council wishes to proceed with districts, the first order of business would be a charter change. After that, council could pass an ordinance spelling out how the district system would work. In his charter language sheet, Collier said the town would want to have a deviation of 10% or less between the largest district and the smallest district, although the goal is to aim for a total deviation of 5%. 

With a lot for council to absorb, and with a new council member, Perry Higgs, set to be sworn into office in April, Collier suggested council ponder the district plan and resume discussion in June.