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The Metro Council voted unanimously on Thursday to adopt a new districts map for the Metro Council, which will remain in effect for at least the next decade.

The Metro Council is required to take a look at the Metro Council district maps – the district that each of the five councilors represents – every 10 years when new census data is made available and make sure the populations are about equal between districts. After the data was released earlier this year, the council noted that two of the districts varied significantly from the averages.

After retooling, each of the five districts come within 3.5 percent of 248,362 people, the average district population based on the census data. Some of the notable changes include redrawing the boundary between districts 4 and 5 to follow the Beaverton city limits as well as making the entire city of Happy Valley a part of District 2 and the entire Sherwood area a part of District 6.

The new redistricting map goes into effect in May of 2012, the month of the next Metro councilor election. Metro councilors currently in office will continue to represent their current districts until January 2013.