KINDER — The Kinder Town Council moved closer to approving a new redistricting plan that will take effect with the fall elections.

The council approved a proposed plan Monday and put forth it as an ordinance to be introduced at its Feb. 7 meeting with final adoption expected in March, according to town attorney Michael Holmes.

The plan, which was presented during a public hearing prior to the regular council meeting, maintains the town’s four single-member election districts and one at-large district seat while retaining a single minority district. No incumbents will be forced to run against one another.

Demographer Mike Hefner of Geographic Planning and Demographic Services said the town is faced with redrawing its district lines every 10 years to meet shifts in the population based on the latest census count.

“We took a look at the history of the demographic changes in the town from the 2010 census to the 2021 census and we looked at a plan that rebalances the district population and gets the minority numbers up to the extent that we can,” Hefner said.

The changes are based on the 2021 census, which shows a 12.4 percent decrease in the town’s  population from 2,477 in 2010 to 2,170 in 2020 — a loss of just over 300.

“The total population in town has not changed much, it is just where they live,” Hefner said, noting that residents seem to be moving from one area to another, according to the census figures.

Hefner said data from the 2020 census shows that the minority numbers have been shifting with the minority population spreading more throughout the community, rather than just staying in District 1.

Under the proposed plan District 1 will pick up parts of District 3 to remain as the minority district.

District 3 will take in a small part of Districts 1 and 2, while District 4 will remain unchanged.

Each district must be within a plus or minus 5 percent of the ideal district population of 543.

The council has until June to receive final approval from the Secretary of State’s office for the plan in time for the November elections.

Qualifying for the municipal elections begin in July.

The plan will remain in place until 2031.