For the second consecutive year, the city of Pearland will place a newly created city council position on its general election ballot in May. Currently, six members serve on Pearland City Council. The plan comes three years after council members amended the city charter to bring representation in line with growth. "We have a big footprint. We believe over the coming years its going to be filled up," said Pearland Mayor Tom Reid. "So we got to thinking about why don’t we consider increasing our number of council members so we can serve a larger base and get more participation from the city. So we decided to add two more council positions [in 2014]." The city's population has rapidly grown from 91,252 in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, to more than 119,000 in 2016, according to city estimates. Pearland was the seventh-fastest growing city in the country in 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In an effort to boost representation, the 2014 city council amended the city's charter to bring the body from five to seven members over a period of three years. The first newly created seat was placed on the ballot in 2016, with Trent Perez winning in a run-off election against Monica Russo. Pearland voters will once again vote on a new council position when they take to the polls during the May 6 general election. No primary elections will be held in 2017, according to the Brazoria County Clerk election division. "We need to stay ahead of the issue of representation of our council, and it’s been surprising the quality of diverse backgrounds we have," Reid said. “My hope is we will continue the wide diversity on council." With only one council member currently residing in Shadow Creek Ranch, Reid hopes the new seat will encourage more west Pearland residents to get involved in local politics. While the number of city council representatives is based on population, there is no standard approach to calculating the appropriate number of council members to residents. City council sizes across the county range from five- to 51-member bodies, according to the National League of Cities. The national average is six members. Along with the new city council Position No. 7, three other seats will be on the ballot in May. City council member Greg Hill filed his resignation on Jan. 11 and expects to step down this year after his successor is confirmed in May. His seat will be on the ballot. City council Position No. 3, which is held by Mayor Pro Tem Gary Moore, will be on the ballot, and longtime Pearland Mayor Tom Reid will also come up for a re-election bid. Candidates can file to be placed on the May ballot beginning Jan. 18; the last day to file is Feb. 17, according to the Texas Secretary of State site.