Citizen-drawn ward map submitted for next Nelsonville city council

A citizen-drawn ward map is waiting for Nelsonville’s next city council to approve

By: Joshua Hoerner
Posted on: Wednesday, July 30, 2025

NELSONVILLE, Ohio (WOUB) — The next Nelsonville city council starting in Jan. will have 90 days to establish a ward map submitted by citizens.

“I want them to see the work that the people of Nelsonville put into this, and I want them to value that,” Trevor Martin said. “This is a product of their people.”

Martin, with the help of the Ohio League of Women’s Voters, organized the map-drawing campaign and presented the four-ward map to both the Ad Hoc Committee and the Nelsonville City Council.

Trevor Martin gives a presentation at the Nelsonville Public Library on drawing ward maps. [Joshua Hoerner | WOUB]

Under the city’s current charter form of government, wards are prohibited. However, they are necessary under a statutory form of government.

According to a section of the Ohio Revised Code, council has the authority to revise any wards previously established at any time, to keep equal population. A census can be called for at any time to keep equal population as well.

As of right now, the map created has less than a 5% population deviation, meaning that the population is divided rather equally per ward. Both Martin and Ad Hoc Committee Chair Reid Courtney spoke about how good that number is.

“Proportionally it is looking really good,” Martin said.

Starting on Jan. 1, the city council will have 90 days to adopt any ward map in the form of an ordinance. If wards are not adopted in 90 days, the director of public service will then make the subdivisions as they deem necessary.

For this upcoming election, all the members of the city council will be elected at-large. Candidates will have the option of running for wards in Nov. 2027.