Following each decennial Census, city council boundaries have to be reviewed and adjusted to keep district populations substantially equal. Uneven growth had left Millcreek's four council districts out of balance: the 2020 Census put the city at 63,380 residents, an ideal population of 15,845 per district, and an acceptable range of 15,211–16,479 using a ±4% standard. Millcreek isn't governed by the Utah Independent Redistricting Commission (UIRC), but City Code requires four districts of substantially equal population, and Utah Code §10-3-205.5 required the adjustment within six months of the Legislature completing its own redistricting process. COVID-related Census delays and the state's November 2021 adoption of new maps compressed that schedule further.
Six alternatives, narrowed to three public proposals
Redistricting was politically contentious across Utah at the time, and several municipalities had drawn criticism for changing boundaries with little public involvement. City Council and City Leadership wanted a more transparent process for their own constituents. I developed six initial alternatives — following UIRC-style principles of contiguous, reasonably compact districts; recognizable natural or constructed boundaries; preserved communities of interest; and retained cores of existing districts where possible — then met individually with the mayor and all four council members to walk through population balance and the specific changes each map would make to their district. That review narrowed the field to three public proposals, each published with the same population measures so residents could compare them on equal footing.
The StoryMap became the public front door
Each proposal fed into a single ArcGIS StoryMap, Experience Builder, and Survey123 workflow built around four steps: a concise overview explaining why redistricting was required, swipe comparisons setting the historic boundary against each proposal, an embedded Experience Builder exposing Census blocks and proposal layers with full pop-ups and layer controls, and a Survey123 link with a QR code for feedback, alongside the open-house and City Council meeting schedule.
Public feedback did more than pick a favorite
The survey drew 177 total responses, 184 proposal-specific comment entries, and written comments from 99 respondents. It did more than reveal a preferred option — it surfaced a specific community concern: the historic boundary split the Mt. Olympus community between Districts 3 and 4, an issue staff and elected officials hadn't previously treated as viable to change, since the districts had been drawn that way deliberately in 2016. Proposal 3 had already moved that boundary to reunite the community while keeping population balance intact. The feedback didn't produce new proposals; it clarified the community-level consequences of the alternatives already on the table and made the case for Proposal 3 visible.
The adopted map balanced population and community
City Council adopted the final district map on May 9, 2022. All four districts landed within the established population range, the Mt. Olympus community was reunited, and the adopted boundaries were aligned to Salt Lake County voting precinct geography and folded into the authoritative GIS data used for elections. GIS made the alternatives visible and measurable; public participation made the final map better.
Full stack: ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS StoryMaps, Experience Builder, and Survey123. View the public StoryMap, the Survey123 feedback form, or the adopted map on millcreekut.gov.