Districting Commission Meetings

MINUTES Wednesday, August 3, 2011 9:00 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 Keller 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 and Council Member Greg Jamison 1. Call To Order Owen called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. 2. Approve Minutes Dated July 27, 2011 A motion to amend the minutes was made by Ann Randall and seconded by Lynne Keller Forbes to change the first line in D3 to read “move VTD 1-1” instead of “move VTD 1- 11” from the Southwest District to the Central District. Owen asked for a voice vote and all members present voted yes. Motion Passed. A motion to approve the minutes, as amended, was made by Mary Glenski and seconded by Rick Knobe. Owen asked for a voice vote and all members present voted yes. Motion Passed. 3. Election of Chairperson A motion was made by Mary Glenski and seconded by Rick Knobe to nominate Lynne Keller Forbes as the Districting Commission Chairperson. Owen asked for a voice vote and all members present voted yes. Motion Passed. 4. Analyze Information and Maps Forbes asked Schmitt for an update and explanation of the maps. Schmitt distributed Map Options B, C and D and discussed the 5% deviation range. After discussion, the commission decided that Option D was not going to be considered at this time. Please see Attachment A for more detailed information regarding the distribution. Schmitt reviewed the following districting criteria with the members: Section 6.02. Council districts: adjustment of districts. (d) Districting plan; criteria. In preparation of its plan for dividing the city into districts for the election of council members, the commission shall apply the following criteria, which, to the extent practicable, shall be applied and given priority in the order in which they are herein set forth. (1) Districts shall be equal in population except where deviations from equality result from the application of the provisions hereinafter set forth, but no such deviation may exceed five (5) percent of the average population for all city council districts according to the figures available from the most recent census. (2) Districts shall consist of contiguous territory. (3) No voting precinct (as set by the counties) shall be divided in the formation of districts. (4) The number of districts which include territory in more than one (1) county shall be as few as possible. (5) Consistent with the foregoing provisions, the aggregate length of all district boundaries shall be as short as possible. (e) Effect of enactment. The new city council districts and boundaries as of the date of enactment shall supersede previous council districts and boundaries for all purposes of the next regular city election, including nominations. The new districts and boundaries shall supersede previous districts and boundaries for all other purposes as of the date on which all council members elected at that regular city election take office. Discussion was held regarding future annexations and the impact this would have on redistricting. Possible redistricting changes with the state and the counties were discussed regarding the larger areas. The commission would like to review the existing two maps and possibly make a recommendation at the next meeting. Based on this possibility, the timeline calendar will be updated with the revised dates. Schmitt reviewed the following information on how the two public hearings were implemented in 2009:  The Commission will meet ½ hour before the public hearing begins;  Easels will be set up around the room so the public can view options including the ‘original’ map;   Opening comments will be made by Schmitt or the Chairperson or both;  Population information should be included on all of the options on the left hand side;  Comments and suggestions from the public will be recorded on notes or on cards distributed at the entry to the Chambers.  A separate board containing the districting plan criteria will be available for public viewing.  The opening comments should indicate that these changes are for the 2010 Election and that there will be more changes in 2012, after the most recent census data is complete.” Just a friendly reminder that the following dates and times are scheduled for the two public hearings for the Districting Commission. These hearings will be held at the Carnegie Town Hall located at 235 W. 10th Street. Commission Members – reminder that you wanted to meet ½ hour ahead of time before the hearings. Tuesday, March 31, 2009, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, April 4, 2009, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Upon request, Schmitt stated that the following districting changes occurred in 2009: VTD From: To: 3-15 Southwest Northwest 5-14 Northwest Central 4-13 Northwest Northeast 5-15 Northeast Central 5-16 Northeast Central 4-12 Southeast Northeast 5. Open Discussion There was none. 6. Next Meeting: Friday, August 5, 2011, at 9:00 a.m. Poster boards illustrating the districting criteria, the “original map” and map options “B” and “C” will be available for viewing. 7. Public Input The audience expressed appreciation that the commission was staying focused on the criteria. 8. Adjournment Forbes adjourned the meeting at 9:40 a.m. Tamara Jorgensen, CMC Assistant City Clerk