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Home My WebLink About120511_ra02 Regular Agenda Item Commissioners Office JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AGENDA REQUEST TO: FROM: DATE: Board of County Commissioners Philip Morley, County Administrator December 5, 2011 SUBJECT: DELmERA nON AND PossmLE ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION re: Redistricting the County Commissioner Boundaries STATEMENT OF ISSUE: County Commissioners will deliberate on three redistricting alternatives and public testimony pertaining to them from a November 28 Public Hearing to select one plan for adjusting County Commissioner boundaries based on the 2010 Census. The plan selected would be incorporated into a Resolution for formal adoption by the County Commissioners. ANALYSIS: Pursuant to RCW 29A.76.01O, the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners conducted a hearing to take public testimony on which one of three options to select to realign the County Commissioner District boundaries to adjust population based on the 2010 Census. Maps of the existing County Commissioner Districts and the three Alternatives are attached (to improve map resolution, areas in west and south county are outside of the map frame, and are included in District 3 under all Alternatives). Table 1 compares the population of the existing Commissioner Districts and the three Alternatives, along with their variance from an equal distribution of the 2010 Census. TABLE 1 Po ulation Distribution District 1 District 2 9,957 9,957 9,520 9,987 (437 30 9,958 9,939 1 18 9,958 9,906 1 51 9,958 9,983 1 26 Alternative 2010 Census oal: Existing Districts: Variance: over under: Alternative 2: Variance: over (under): Alternative 3: 1 District 3 9,957 10,365 408 9,975 18 10,008 51 9,931 26) Regular Agenda Item Commissioners Office On November 28, the County Commissioners held a public hearing and received public testimony. Pursuant to state law, selection of one of the alternatives must wait for a week. The Commissioners must notifY the County Auditor of the alternative selected on or before December 8,2011. Development of the three alternatives was pursuant to state law and guidelines provided by the Washington Secretary of State, attached to this Agenda Request. The district boundaries selected by the County Commissioners would also apply to the Commissioner boundaries for the Port of Port Townsend. In addition, Jefferson County Public Utility District No. 1 has indicated they may opt to apply these same boundaries to the PUD Commissioner districts. Public Notice of the Public Hearing was published in The Leader as a legal ad plus a display ad two times, on November 16 and November 23, 2011. The Notice and maps were also posted on the county's web site. RECOMMENDATION: Consider public testimony from the public hearing, deliberate on the three alternatives and select one redistricting alternative to adjust the County Commissioner District boundaries based on the 2010 Census. Depending on the alternative chosen, stafi'will insert the appropriate text description of the boundaries into the attached draft Resolution, for formal adoption by the Commissioners on December 5. . 'strator f/304 Date 2 JEFFERSON COUNTY STATE OF WASHINGTON In the Matter of Establishing } County Commissioner Districts } RESOLUTION NO WHEREAS RCW 29A. 76.01 0 requires each County to periodically redistrict its gove=ental unit based on population information from the most recent federal decennial census; and WHEREAS, a federal deceunial census was completed in 2010; and WHEREAS Washington State has forwarded to Jefferson County census information to be used for redistricting purposes; and WHEREAS RCW 29A.76.0l0 requires that each County prepare a plan for redistricting within eight months of said census information being received, which deadline is December 8, 2011; and WHEREAS December 5, 2011 is within the eight month period; and WHEREAS RCW 29A.76.0l0 requires the plan for redistricting to be consistent with the following criteria: a. Each internal director, council, or commissioner district shall be as nearly equal in population as possible to each and every other such district comprising the municipal corporation, county, or special purpose district, and b. Each district shall be as compact as possible, and c. Each district shall consist of geographically contiguous area, and d. Population data may not be used for purpOses of favoring or disfavoring any racial group or political party, and e. To the extent feasible and ifnot inconsistent with the basic enabling legislation for the municipal corporation, county, or district, the district boundaries shall coincide with existing recognized natural boundaries and shall, to the extent possible, preserve existing communities of related and mutual interest; and WHEREAS, an additional criterion was provided by the Washington Secretary of State's "Guide to Redistricting In 3 Phases," Revised October 2011, which states "it is not possible to adjust population by anything less than a whole census block;" and WHEREAS, a workshop was held on November 7, 2011 during the County Commissioners' regular open public meeting to provide direction to create three redistricting alternatives consistent with the aforementioned criteria, for subsequent public hearing; and WHEREAS a public hearing was held on November 28,2011 after notice was published on November 16 and November 23, said hearing being held in Port Townsend Washington on the proposed redistricting plan which included three options, all of which met the above criteria; and WHEREAS the Board of Commissioners last adopted a redistricting plan in 2001 with technical adjustments made in 2002; and WHEREAS the Board of County Commissioners of Jefferson County, Washington, having held a public hearing on the redistricting plan on November 28,2011, and after a period of at least one week, have reviewed the comments received, deliberated, and concluded that the Commissioner Districts established by their plan as set out below and meeting the criteria as required should be adopted; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Jefferson County Commissioners that the Commissioner Districts for Jefferson County are established as follows: Commissioner District 1: Commissioner District 1 is described as follows: [INSERT DESCRIPTION CHOSEN] Commissioner District 2: Commissioner District 2 is described as follows: [INSERT DESCRIPTION CHOSEN] Commissioner District 3: Commissioner District 3 is described as follows: [INSERT DESCRIPTION CHOSEN] APPROVED AND SIGNED this _ day of December, 2011. JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS SEAL John Austin, Chairman AITEST: Phil Johnson, Commissioner Raina Randall Deputy Clerk of the Board David Sullivan, Commissioner Regular Agenda Item Commissioners Office East Jefferson County Redistricting Existing Commissioner District~ / B~><kl\'J"'l_byo.",,,~ ,,~___'_J,...._ -.....-.... ....~,-_...__... ...,--... ---'-"'~-'''~ ....__......_~ _..._.._~- ..-.--.-., ._"'_1- Oi.tri<tPupuloh.'" Dl ""201 D' _ 0"~ v.w,,,,",,,,, ~}15~ M(..J ;< " .. ._~ . I I " ~ Existing District CJ' ,/ r":2 . E " ~ c::J Fife District r:: ~ School DisbiCl c:::::JPreCinct DBlOCkS " .' " " ;' 3 Regular Agenda Item Commissioners Office East Jefferson County /l' :~::~~::,~1ternative 1 01 - I 0 D 0::: _ .111 [l.J ~ 1/\ ~,"'~'" T.....I 19....2 . ,~ ,~ ,{ 0 ~~~ 1/ -'I ..",.,.,____.-....J ::-'~'i.-:'-- ----_.....~,-'- ....-.-'" ==~':""::"""'- =-=:'=.::=-- ~ . . . ., "y " ~ , " .. ( " iI \1 ;~o PfopondDisQ'kl .. " 1lIiIIIIII. i( -, I r"':-:J, ~~~o;...... l_J_lMm<t ... ~=c_~_~ . ,~ c::::J-. . , '. .' U . j. 4 Regular Agenda Item Commissioners Office " East Jefferson County Redistricting Alternative 2 IlIo<kT\'\'Ulltl",,""'~1 ~?~":"--_... .--,-.. ;_'::~:::..-;:.~- ---'.~-'- ~_."''''- ..-..,-.~- [)t.l,;c1 f\>ru"h<'" VAn,,,,,,, from ~.~ ~_I 01 - I D2 ....~ -M m lOCO< ~l T.....l 2W72 ,f~..,.",. /1 -4" . j./ . . . .. " ~ ~ ~ (V Plopowd Qlstrict V 1Wi3' ~1' ~t,- , .-- "iIO. . ~:::-:c-~.-.,~ :1' c=J.- ., ~ ^' . )' 53 " . . 5 Regular Agenda Item Commissioners Office East Jefferson County Redistricting Alternative 3 BhlL 1\"",1_"''''''' o...n.., '\"" \ . ' ~ , ~~~=:;~~: _..._.~-"- -_..._._~ "-'''-'''-- [)..._1 ",,,,,,I.,,,.. V."""",n,,,,,,,.,,~,.,..1 01 ~ I 0:;: 'i'llll U. 00 9'1)1 .1<> T,~.J mn ~ 1-/ . . . Ii I'" n/ \i 'i'- I, ''f, /. 6 Regular Agenda Item Commissioners Office 2010 Census Redistricting Guidelines The Board of County Commissioners is required by law CRCW 29A.76.01 0) to "prepare a plan for redistricting its internal or director districts" after each decennial census to reflect changes in population. The plan must bc consistent with the following criteria: a) Each district shall be as nearly equal in population as possible. b) Each district shall be as compact as possible. c) Each district shall consist of geographically contiguous area. d) Population data may not be used for purposes favoring or disfavoring any racial group or political party. e) To the extent feasible and if not inconsistent with the basic enabling legislation for the municipal corporation, county, or district, the district boundaries shall coincide with existing recognized natural boundaries and shall, to the extent possible, preserve existing communities or related and mutual interest. t) In addition, the Washington Secretary of State issued guidance that district boundaries cannot divide census blocks. 7