A public hearing will be held in Atlantic Wednesday evening, with regard to proposed changes to the Ward boundaries for the City of Atlantic. The hearing takes place during a 5:30-p.m. session of the Atlantic City Council.

Following the hearing, the Council will hold the first reading of an ordinance establishing new ward boundaries, which became necessary once the 2010 census results were released. The required redistricting in Atlantic is the result of Ward 3 decreasing in population, and Ward 5 increasing significantly, as compared to the other three wards. In addition the City Clerk needs to meet the County’s requirement for supervisor districts.

City Administrator Doug Harris says the ideal population for each ward is 1,422, but that can vary, as long as the difference between the populations of the smallest and largest wards does not exceed 10-percent. State Code requires the City to adopt an ordinance describing the new ward map, by September 1^st. A second and third reading of the ordinance is expected to take place August 17^th.

The Council will also hold a public hearing on a resolution granting a sewer line easement to Andrew J. Knuth. Knuth has requested a 10-foot sewer easement on the north side of the city lot which abuts his law office building, to replace his sewer line. City Administrator Doug Harris says Knuth has offered to pay the City $50 for the easement.

In other business, the Council will act on authorizing Mayor Dave Jones to sign a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Housing Fund Contract between the City, and Iowa Department of Economic Development. The contract will likely be administered by SWIPCO. You may recall, the City last month, was awarded a $484,500 CDBG for a housing rehabilitation project.

And, the Atlantic City Council is expected to act on approving the August 28^th closure of Cedar Street, from 2^nd-to 3^rd Streets, for a community block party at Cedar Park, sponsored by the 1^st United Methodist Church. If approved, the closure would be from 5-until 7-pm that evening.