Politics & Government

Census Forcing Changes to County Council Districts

Freemansburg will join Bethlehem in District 1; Bath and Williams Township also switching.

This fall, voters in Williams Township will have to decide whether to keep incumbent Mike Dowd on Northampton County Council, or replace him with challenger Robert Werner.

But no matter who wins, they won't be representing Williams Township, which part of council's second district.

Similar scenarios would play out in the communities of Freemansburg and Bath.

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All three municipalities would move into other council districts at the end of 2011 under an ordinance council will consider later this month.

Under the county's home rule charter, all four council districts need to have roughly the same population.

Find out what's happening in Bethlehemwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The 2010 Census showed Williams growing by 31 percent, which means it's moving into District Three, which currently includes boroughs of Bath, Nazareth, Northampton, Freemansburg and North Catasauqua, and the townships of Allen, Bethlehem, East Allen, Lower Nazareth and Lower Saucon.

But council's ordinance will change that make-up as well. Bath moves into District Four, which is currently made up of the Slate Belt communities, as well as places like Chapman, Walnutport, Moore and Lehigh townships.

Freemansburg, meanwhile, will move out of District Three and into District One, which is currently made up of Bethlehem, Hellertown and Hanover Township.

Council is expected to discuss the ordinance at its July 21 meeting.


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