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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-29-1997 Minutes MINUTES OF THE CITY OF OCOEE DISTRICTING COMMISSION ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING HELD APRIL 29, 1997 CALL TO ORDER City Attorney Rosenthal called the organizational meeting of the Ocoee Districting Commission to order at 7:30 in the Commission Chambers. Following the roll call and determination that a quorum was present, the members observed a moment of silence and then joined in the pledge of allegiance. PRESENT: Members Ruth Grafton, Betty Hager, Bruce Holmes, Martha Lopez-Anderson, and Robert Williams. Also present were City Attorney Rosenthal and City Clerk Grafton. ELECTION OF OFFICERS Mr. Rosenthal explained that the first order of business was to elect a chair to officiate at the meetings. Mrs. Hager nominated Mr. Williams, who declined. Then Mr. Williams nominated Mrs. Hager, who declined. At Mr. Holmes' request Mr. Rosenthal explained the basic duties of the chair: to act as presiding officer of the meetings, gavel the meeting to order, call the roll, conduct discussions, and recognize the public. He said further that the chair may take a more active role, if desired. He explained that the material would be provided by staff. Member Hager, seconded by Member Grafton, nominated Member Holmes to serve as chair. Member Williams moved that Member Holmes be elected by acclamation. Motion carried 5-0. Member Grafton, seconded by Member Hager, nominated Member Williams to serve as vice-chair. Motion carried 5-0. NON-AGENDA ITEM Orange County Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles addressed the Commission to advise that the election office had provided assistance to the County Districting Commission in 1989 and would be in a position to help with this project electronically if desired, as long as the population numbers stayed within census blocks. He introduced Beverly Willis, Senior Mapping Supervisor, who would be the contact person from that office. Mrs. Willis reviewed the possible sources for the necessary information to establish a population data base (census, utilities, housing count, commercial mailing lists, 911 data, aerial photos, delivery of phone books, property appraiser's office, traffic zones, voter registration, Bureau of Economic Business Research [BEBR]), and said that all the defensible information available is at the county level, not municipal. She said there may be a private company that has already compiled the information, but she had not found one yet. She provided a copy of the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council's (ECFRPC)population projections for 1995-2010 and a memo from A. Bryant Applegate, Assistant County Attorney, dated August 15, 1989 to be copied and L Districting Commission Organizational Meeting April 29, 1997 distributed to this Commission. Mr. Applegate's memo re: "Final Report on Findings of Fact" describes the process used by Orange County in redistricting at that time. Mrs. Willis advised that she has the 1990 census maps and figures in her computer as well as the GIS mapping data base and can work with a data base of either population figures or voter registration figures. She said that, once the figures are plugged into the census blocks, she could easily assist the Districting Commission in redrawing the district lines with her computer. REPORT ON LEGAL ISSUES-CITY ATTORNEY PAUL ROSENTHAL City Attorney Rosenthal gave an overview of the background of the districting of the City, noting that the Charter requires that a districting commission be appointed every five years, beginning with 1991 (1996, 2001, etc.) "to review the geographic boundaries of the four single-member districts... in light of the most current, official census data, together with all other data relevant to the redistricting of geographic boundaries." He pointed out that the review following the release of the official census would be more accurate than a report put together using a different source and if this Commission fords that there is not enough data available it could recommend waiting until the year 2000 census is released for the redistricting. Mr. Rosenthal advised that if this Commission wished to go forward, however, and make an effort at this time, it may be necessary to engage a consultant with the technical expertise to provide data, as the City is not staffed for , the type of research required for this project. He said that, in anticipation of this need, Senior Planner Horne had conducted a search for an agency to prepare the population figures, and had received a response from Ronald R. Schultz, Ph.D., Regional Research Associates, Inc. (This response had been distributed for Commission review at the beginning of the meeting.) Mr. Rosenthal added that this Commission is charged to "prepare a report to the City Commission containing recommendations, if any, for adjustment of district boundaries," and he pointed out that the "if any" was a specific recognition that the Commission might encounter problems coming up with good population data. Mr. Rosenthal cautioned that the districting should be based on the number of residents, and that, in determining the number of residents, the City's information regarding annexations, certificates of occupancy, building permits, etc. may be used to project an estimate of the population, but that staff had recommended hiring a consultant to pull together the figures. He listed the specific criteria from the Charter for this Commission to follow: a) Each district shall be contact, contiguous territory and as rectangular as possible. To the extent possible, the boundary lines of each district shall follow the center lines of streets. b) The districts shall be based upon the principle of equal and effective representation as required by the United States Constitution. Page2of 4 Districting Commission Organizational Meeting April 29, 1997 c) The boundaries of each district shall, to the extent possible, be aligned with the boundaries of the county precincts within the city and with the boundaries of the city. (Here Mr. Rosenthal stressed the need to coordinate with the existing county precinct lines.) d) All reports containing recommendations shall include a map that sets forth the proposed boundaries of each district. Mr. Rosenthal said that the delay in calling this organizational meeting after the Commission appointments in December 1996 was caused by the thought that during its process the Charter Review Commission may recommend doing away with single-member districts and have a special election. However, a review of that schedule indicated there was no likelihood that the Charter Review Commission decision/recommendation/referendum could happen before the August deadline for the Districting Commission's submission of a recommendation. DISCUSSION RE: HIRING OF CONSULTANT Member Williams stated for clarification that if a consultant is hired, this Commission would set the parameters by which the consultant would operate and the consultant would do all of the collection and evaluation of the figures, bringing back to this Commission a recommendation with which to work. Mr. Rosenthal said it would first be necessary to put the hiring of a consultant on the City Commission agenda and, upon hiring, then get the consultant to meet with the Districting Commission for brainstorming. Mrs. Willis pointed out the need for the figures to be provided at the census block level, and said she would be able to provide a map and 1990 census block figures. In response to a question by Mr. Rosenthal, Mrs. Willis said she could provide the 1990 registered voter figures by census block along with a comparison to current registered voter figures. Chair Holmes asked about the fee and the process of hiring a consultant. Mr. Rosenthal suggested that the Planning Department conduct the search for the consultant and either bring back a list of names for this Commission to choose from or proceed to recommend a consultant to City Commission. Member Lopez-Anderson asked if it would be appropriate for citizens to notify colleagues to submit a proposal for this task. Mr. Rosenthal advised that it would be appropriate for any private consulting firm to submit a proposal, and that it would probably be the third week in May before the consultant could be hired by the City Commission. Mr. Rosenthal recapped the list of material to be provided for the next meeting: 1. District maps 2. Census map from Supervisor of Elections office Page 3 of 4 Districting Commission Organizational Meeting April 29, 1997 3. List of annexations since 1990 census 4. Numerical information regarding residential certificates of occupancy issued since 1990 5. New subdivisions approved by City Commission since the 1990 census. Member Hager suggested that using the water connections would be the easiest solution because a bill is sent for each meter; so taking that number, adding apartment numbers and subtracting commercial connections should give a reasonably accurate count for units occupied. Mr. Rosenthal said that, although that information may be accurate, taking the information and translating it into census blocks would be a different question. Member Williams, seconded by Member Hager, moved to request the City Manager to obtain a list of available consultants for this position and either this Commission can decide, or the City can decide which one suits the needs better. Motion carried 5-0. SCHEDULE MEETING DATES Member Lopez-Anderson, seconded by Member Grafton, moved to meet Wednesday, May 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the commission chambers. (iw Motion carried 5-0. COMMENTS There were no Commission comments at this time. Mayor Vandergrift, 2625 Cedar Bluff Lane, commended members for volunteering for this formidable task, and cautioned them to make every effort to follow Orange County precinct lines in the realignment of districts. He advised that the City Commission has budgeted $10,000 for this project. Chairman Holmes asked that his work phone number be removed from the list, as it is no longer a valid number. He said he has a new employer who is not in favor of his receiving telephone calls at work. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 9:15 p.m. ik J, Grafton, City 7 -rk Bruce Holmes, Chair Page 4 of 4