Submitted by: Nate Groenendyk
Submitting Department: City Clerk
Agenda Section: Presentation
Item Title:
title
Redistricting Commission Presentation of Recommended Ward Maps
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Suggested Action:
recommendation
Presentation Only
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Summary Background:
Every ten years, after the Census, the City must use the new census data to review its ward boundaries, and if needed, redraw the boundaries between wards in order to reflect how the local populations have changed. The authority for the modification of ward boundaries is found in the City Charter, § C4-17.
The redistricting process is done with the primary goal of creating wards which have substantially equal populations. The widely accepted standard for population variation between the largest ward and the smallest ward is that there should not be a greater than 10% difference. Additional criteria for consideration throughout the redistricting process is listed below.
• Wards must be comprised of contiguous territory and as geographically compact as possible.
• Wards shall, as much as possible, be bounded by natural boundaries, street lines, and/or City boundary lines.
• Wards must be drawn to provide fair and effective representation for all residents of the City, including racial, ethnic, and language minorities. Additionally, to the extent possible, wards should preserve identifiable communities of interest. The redrawing of the City’s ward boundaries should be designed to ensure that our elected body is representative of the City’s diverse population.
• Wards most likely to be impacted by future development may be smaller by design in order to minimize impact of population growth on future redistricting.
The Redistricting Commission was appointed in June 2022 to make recommendations to Council on revisions to the existing Ward boundaries based on 2020 Census data. A preliminary review of that data demonstrated that Wards 3 and 5 were outside of the recommended 10% variance in population and a redistricting effort was warranted.
In addition to the population counts, the Committee conducted a review of existing conditions, future developments, and available demographic data from the 2020 Census. They sought feedback from community members both in-person at City events and online using the City’s new community engagement tool, Hello Hyattsville. The City’s Race and Equity Officer joined the meetings to assist with questions of ensuring equity for all community members.
With the support of the City’s GIS Technician, the Committee has prepared two recommended updates to the City’s Ward boundary maps for Council’s review. Their presentation is accompanied by a report further outlining their process and the data and resources that were considered.
Next Steps:
Changing the ward boundaries requires a Charter Amendment. City Council will need to select the final Ward boundary map by November 7, 2022. A Public Hearing on the proposed Charter Amendment Resolution is tentatively scheduled for November 21, 2022, with adoption of the Resolution on December 5. Upon adoption of the new ward boundaries, City staff will conduct a public outreach campaign on the new boundaries prior to the Spring 2023 City Election.
Fiscal Impact:
N/A
City Administrator Comments:
Recommend Support.
Community Engagement:
Communications staff serve as staff liaison to this Committee and have been closely following the process. To date, communications about the process have been shared via email/text message, social media, in print in the Hyattsville Reporter and Hyattsville Life and Times, on the City’s LED message boards, and via flyers placed in resident trash cans, in apartment buildings, churches, schools, and other public locations. All communications currently direct people to the Redistricting Project Page on the Hello Hyattsville platform for further information and to provide comment.
Members of the Redistricting Committee also attended the August Summer Jam and Back to School events to gather feedback in-person.
Strategic Goals:
Goal 1 - Ensure Transparent and Accessible Governance
Legal Review Required?
Complete