Berkeley Township Redistricting Hearing Slated for Tonight

Berkeley Township residents can have their say on proposed redistricting changes for the township's system of four wards at a public hearing at 6 p.m. tonight in the Ocean County Administration Building.

The Ocean County Board of Elections earlier this year ordered the redistricting to balance the population numbers in each of the four wards.

Currently Ward 1 — which includes Bayville, Pelican Island and South Seaside Park — and Ward 2 — which includes Pinewald, other sections of town west of Route 9 and some parts of Holiday Heights — have the highest population numbers, Township Clerk Beverly M. Carle has said.

No one ward can exceed more than 10 percent of the population in any other ward, Council President Karen Davis has said.

Currently, Ward 2 has the highest population number, with 11,896 residents. Ward 1 has 11,014. Wards 3 and 4 have 9,144 and 9,198, respectively, Carle said.

Ward 3 includes Silver Ridge Park East and West. Ward 4 includes Holiday City at Berkeley, sections of Holiday Heights and Holiday City South.

The township’s population rose 3 percent from 2000 to 2010, from 39,991 to 41,255, according to the 2010 census figures. Berkeley has 39 voting districts.

No matter what the changes, residents will continue to vote in their designated districts, Carle has said.

"The actual districts won't change," she said. "The person who represents them may change."

The meeting will be held in the freeholders meeting room on the first floor of the administration building.