KINDER — Residents will have a say on proposed changes to election district boundaries.

A public hearing on a redistricting plan will be at 6 p.m. Dec. 5 at the Kinder Town Hall.

The council is expected to vote on the plan in January. It will then be submitted to the U.S. Justice Department for final approval.

Demographic specialist Mike Hefner of Geographic Planning and Demographic Services said the new boundaries will not take effect until the 2014 municipal elections, They will remain in place until the 2020 census.

The new boundaries were needed due to population changes made in the last 10 years, Hefner said.

The 2010 census shows Kinder’s population grew by 98 people, from 2,379 in 2000 to 2,477 in 2010, with fewer minorities, he said.

The redistricting plan, created with input from council members, “rebalances” the election districts while retaining the council’s four single-member districts and one at-large seat, Hefner said. It maintains District 1 as a single minority district.

Under the proposed plan, District 1 has a population of 535 people with a 60.37 percent minority population.

“We were able to maintain the minority voting strength, which gives minorities the ability to elect the candidate of their choice,” Hefner said.

District 2 has 646 residents and a 9.13 percent minority population; District 3 has 636 residents and an 8.33 percent minority representation; and District 4 has 660 residents and a 23.48 percent minority population.

A hearing on the plan Monday did not draw any public comments.