CC Minutes - 04/27/11 Work Session

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C. WORK SESSION: Ward Redistricting Mr. Clark stated his company worked closely with a company that created what he termed the "national gold standard" for redistricting software. He had not been involved in any conversations about the City's redistricting process and would not profit if the City chose to employ that software. City Manager's Office Division Manager Keli Osborn joined the council for the item. She sought direction from the council regarding oversight of the ward redistricting process and feedback on the timeline, which was included in the meeting packet as Attachment D, 2011 Ward Redistricting-- Timeline. She referred the council to Attachment E, 2011 Ward Redistricting — Criteria for Drawing Eugene Ward Boundaries. She recommended that the criteria be discussed further by the council and tested with the community in May 2011 through an interested parties list, a Web survey, and a drop -in forum. Following that, staff would return to the council in June with draft criteria to guide drawing of the boundaries. Ms. Osborn called the council's attention to Attachment C, 2011 Ward Redistricting — Process Alternatives, which outlined the oversight and public process options. Ms. Osborn noted that Jason Dedrick, Sarah Zaleski, and Laura Hammond of the Planning and Development Department would assist in the process, and the Lane Council of Governments (LCOG) could serve a consultative role. She reported as part of the public outreach process, Pat Hocken of the League of Women Voters as well as a representative of the Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) were present, and the City had also reached out to many other organizations. Ms. Osborn called the council's attention to Attachment B, a ward map showing the locations of the residences of current councilors and Eugene Water & Electric Board commissioners. She also called attention to Attachment A, which provided demographic information about each ward. In regard to the first request for direction, the council unanimously concurred that that it would oversee the ward redistricting process rather than establish a separate committee. Councilors also concurred with the timeline, with some objection from Ms. Taylor because of her belief the process should be completed in August so potential candidates would know what ward they were in and what council seats they should run for before September 8. Mr. Poling wanted to have the process completed by the time the council went on its summer recess if that was possible. Mr. Farr expressed interest in knowing why Portland State University's population figures were different from the population figures provided for this work session. For example, he recalled that PSU had projected a lower population for Ward 3 while the 2010 US Census data for Eugene showed an increase compared to some wards. Ms. Osborn reminded the council that staff had cautioned in February that the PSU figures were preliminary and that Ward 3 included group housing situations that were not fully reflected in those numbers. She said for the purpose of the US Census, college students who lived in Eugene were counted as Eugene residents though they may not always be registered as Eugene voters, which might also add to the discrepancy. Mr. Farr expressed concern that Ward 3 as currently established could have a lower percentage of voters than other wards, for example Ward 6. Ms. Osborn reminded the council that redistricting also was intended to provide equal protection under the law to residents, and that included persons of all ages and non- voters. Ms. Ortiz asked staff to assist the councilors with their outreach to the community. MINUTES — Eugene City Council April 27, 2011 Page 6 Work Session