Districting Commission Meetings

MINUTES Monday, April 24, 2017 3 PM Districting Commission Meeting Carnegie Town Hall 235 West Tenth Street Members Present: Jeffrey Eckhoff, Debra Elofson, James Fry, Mark Millage, Jason Wierenga Members Absent: None 1. Call To Order City Clerk Tom Greco called the meeting to order at 3 p.m. 2. Approval of Minutes A. Meeting of Monday, April 10, 2017, at 3 p.m. A motion was made by Debra Elofson and seconded by Mark Millage to approve the meeting minutes of Monday, April 10, 2017, at 3 p.m. City Clerk Tom Greco called for a voice vote. All members voted yes. Motion Passed. 3. Selection of Chairperson A motion was made by Mark Millage and seconded by Jeffrey Eckhoff to elect James Fry as Chairperson of the Districting Commission. Vote to elect: Roll Call: Yeses, Jeffrey Eckhoff, Debra Elofson, James Fry, Mark Millage, Jason Wierenga, 5. Noes, 0. Motion Passed. Fry accepted the nomination and election as Chairperson. 4. Analyze Information and Maps (Options A through E) Jeff Schmitt, Chief Planning and Zoning Official, presented five separate maps to the Districting Commission. The first map depicted the current boundaries with population estimates. The current boundaries do not meet the districting criteria set forth in the City Charter. The next map shown, "Option B," depicts the movement of one precinct (2-15) from the Southeast (SE) District to the Southwest (SW) District; two precincts (1-2 & 1-3) from  the SW District moving to the Northwest (NW) District; three precincts (3-6, 3-7, & 3- 8) moving from the NW District to the Central (CE) District; one precinct (5-17) moving from the CE District to the NW District; and, two precincts (5-15 & 5-18) moving from the CE District to the Northeast (NE) District. "Option C" depicts three precincts (3-10, 3-15, & 3-17) from the NW District moving to the Southwest District; four precincts (1-4, 1-11, 1-15, & 1-18) from the SW Districts and five precincts (2-1, 2-10, 2-11, 2-12, & 2-15) from the SE District each moving to the CE District; two precincts (5-14 & 5-18) moving from the CE District to the NW District; five precincts (5-1, 5-2, 5-3, 5-4, & 5-15) moving from the CE to the NE District; and, one precinct (5-6) from the CE District and three precincts (4-9, 4-10, 4- 12) from the NE District moving to the SE District. "Option D" depicts one precinct (3-8) from the NW District and one precinct (1-4) from the SW District each moving to the CE District; and, one precinct (5-6) from the CE District and one precinct (2-4) from the SE District each moving to the NE District. "Option E" depicts one precinct (3-8) moving from the NW District to the SW District; one precinct (1-4) moving from the SW District to the CE District; and, one precinct (5- 6) from the CE District and one precinct (2-4) from the SE District each moving to the NE District. Discussion about the map options by members of the Commission focused on: expected growth areas beyond current boundaries, growth trends, the ability to change the number of districts and/or precincts, and potential impacts to voters resulting from district boundary changes. Schmitt provided an overview of expected growth beyond current boundaries according to the 2040 Comprehensive Plan as well as trends in population growth within the current boundaries. The "2016 Sioux Falls Development Summary" and “Future Land Use Map” are provided as an attachment to this item and also available at http://www.siouxfalls.org/planning-building/planning/shape under “Resources.” Greco explained that the number of districts are established by the City Charter. Greco and Minnehaha County Auditor Bob Litz discussed recent and anticipated election practices regarding the use of precincts as well as considerations for changes to precincts. District and precinct designations are set by the City Council in coordination with both counties as applicable. 5. Open Discussion There was none. 6. Next Meeting The Commission discussed next steps and agreed to use the next several days to study the map options and information provided. A motion was made by Mark Millage and seconded by Jason Wierenga to set a date for  the next meeting for Tuesday, May 2, 2017, at 12 p.m. in Carnegie Town Hall. Commission Chair James Fry called for a voice vote. All members voted yes. Motion Passed. 7. Adjournment A motion was made by Debra Elofson and seconded by Jeffrey Eckhoff to adjourn at 3:46 p.m. Commission Chair James Fry called for a voice vote. All members voted yes. Motion Passed. Thomas M. Greco City Clerk