Foley City Council is redrawing its district boundaries in preparation for the 2025 municipal elections.

The new boundaries are designed to account for population growth and shifts, with the goal of establishing five districts with similar populations.

Mike Thompson, city administrator, explained that cities are required to adjust district lines after each census to reflect population changes.

“We analyzed it internally based upon the number of new housing starts, residential starts or annexation that we've done from the previous layout of our districts,” Thompson said. “Based upon that, we see our population as of the end of 2024 to be between 29,000 and 30,000. That’s what we have to redistribute and equalize among our districts.”

The city’s updated district boundaries are set to be in place before the municipal elections, which are scheduled for Aug. 26. If a runoff is required for any office, it will take place on Sept. 23.

During the city elections, voters will cast ballots for City Council candidates in their respective districts, while all city voters will participate in the race for mayor. The mayor and the five City Council seats, each representing a district, are up for election. Officials will serve four-year terms.

Foley City Council voted March 3 to approve the first reading of the ordinance establishing the new district lines. A final vote on the ordinance will be held at an upcoming meeting.

This adjustment follows a 2021 decision by the Alabama Legislature to extend the terms of municipal offices by one year to prevent elections from coinciding with presidential or state elections.