Districting Commission Meetings

MINUTES Wednesday, July 27, 2011 9:10 AM at Carnegie Town Hall Districting Commission Meeting 235 West Tenth Street  Note: There will be no audio or video recording of this meeting. Members Present: Lynne Forbes, Mary Glenski, Rick Knobe, Ann Randall, and Andy Traub. Members Absent: None Staff Present: Debra A. Owen, City Clerk/Chief of Council Operations; Tamara Jorgensen, CMC, Assistant City Clerk, and Jeff Schmitt, Chief Planning and Zoning Official Guests: Council Member Sue Aguilar 1. Call To Order Owen called the meeting to order at 9:10 a.m. 2. Introductions and Opening Remarks Districting Commission members introduced themselves and gave a brief update on their backgrounds and qualifications. Owen thanked the members for their participation in the redistricting process. 3. Purpose and Intent (Schmitt) Schmitt reviewed the purpose and intent of the Districting Commission. Schmitt reviewed the criteria for the commission and discussed the final report that is due to the City Council. 4. Rules and Regulations A. Open Meeting Laws (Owen) Owen reviewed SDCL 1-25-1 regarding open meeting laws with emphasis on the definition and e-mail correspondence. A copy of SDCL 1-25-1 was distributed for future reference. B. Code of Ethics (Owen) Owen reviewed Article II “Conflicts of interests of officers and employees”. A copy was distributed for future reference. Discussion followed. C. Districting Criteria (Schmitt) Schmitt reviewed Section 6.02 “Council districts: adjustment of districts”. A copy was distributed for future reference. Discussion followed.  D. Map Review (Schmitt) Schmitt distributed and reviewed two maps: 1) Existing Voting Districts with 2010 Census Data and 2) Option A Voting Districts with 2010 Census Data. Schmitt gave an update on how the population range is determined. Based on the April, 2011 census, the Districts need to fall between the population range of 29,315 and 32,241. The following options were discussed: 1. Move VTD 1-1 from the Southwest District to the Central District. (Least amount of impact; two districts affected). 2. Move VTD 1-11 from the Southwest District to the Southeast District and move VTD 2-4 from the Southeast District to the NE District. (Three districts affected). 3. Move VTD 1-1 from the Southwest District to the Central District; Move VTD 1-2 from the Southwest District to the Northwest District; Move VTD 1- 3 from the Southwest District to the Northwest District and move VTD 3-10 from the Northwest District to the Southwest District. Discussion followed. 5. Discussion of Chairperson The Commission will make nominations and vote on their Chairperson at the next Districting Commission Meeting. 6. Scheduling Future Meetings Future Districting Commission Meetings will be held at the Carnegie Town Hall at 9:00 a.m. on the following dates: Wednesday, August 3, 2011; Friday, August 5, 2011; and Wednesday, August 24, 2011. 7. Open Discussion The Districting Commission calendar was reviewed. The timeline for the presentation to the City Council was discussed. The timeline for a public hearing was reviewed and discussed. It was noted that a future public hearing should occur in the evening hours to accommodate citizens that are working during the day. Future agendas will include a section for public input. 8. Adjournment Owen and Schmitt adjourned the meeting at 10:15 a.m. Tamara Jorgensen, CMC Assistant City Clerk