HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 02 Council Ward BoundariesAGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Meeting Date: 11/22/2021
Meeting Type: Work Session
Staff Contact/Dept.: Kristina Kraaz, CAO
Staff Phone No: 541-744-4061
Estimated Time: 20 Minutes
SPRINGFIELD Council Goals: Mandate
CITY COUNCIL
ITEM TITLE: CITY COUNCIL WARD BOUNDARY CHANGES
ACTION Review information regarding 2020 Census data and Council ward boundaries and
REQUESTED: provide direction for (1) whether the Council should redraw the boundaries based
on 2020 population data and if so, (2) the ward boundary scenarios that should be
presented to the City Council at future work session.
ISSUE
The Lane Council of Governments (LCOG) has provided the 2020 Census data for
STATEMENT:
the City of Springfield, and has determined that the Council wards have
experienced population shifts that may warrant readjustment of the ward boundary
lines. However, due to delays in the 2020 Census results, the timeline for Council to
adopt new ward boundaries is significantly shortened. Council direction is needed
to determine whether to consider redrawn ward boundary scenarios.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: Council Briefing Memorandum
DISCUSSION/
Every ten years the U.S. Census Bureau conducts a census of the population. The
FINANCIAL
data is used for a variety of purposes, including reapportionment of election
IMPACT:
districts. In 1981, 1991, 2001, and 2011, Springfield contracted with LCOG to
analyze the previous years' Census data, and determine several ward boundary
scenarios. Ultimately, the City Council adopted new ward boundaries in each year.
It is not mandatory that the Council ward boundaries be redrawn after every census.
The Springfield Municipal Code, Section 2.005, simply states that "There are
hereby established in the city, six wards with Lane County election precincts [as
specified in the code]," and "The boundaries of said wards shall be established by
special ordinance."
LCOG has provided the City's population by existing City Council ward, the equal
population figure if wards were perfectly balanced, and the degree of variance
between the 2020 population of existing wards and the ideal equal population
(Attachment 1). If the Council determines to change ward boundaries based on the
2020 Census data, LCOG will prepare scenarios for revisions to City Council
Wards for Council review during an interactive work session in December, based
upon the Council's direction in this work session.
The Council would need to adopt new ward boundaries by the first meeting in
January in order to allow Lane County Elections to determine new voting precincts
based on the new ward boundaries before January 31.
MEMORANDUM City of Springfield
Date: 11/22/2021
To: Nancy Newton, City Manager COUNCIL
From: Kristina Kraaz, Assistant City Attorney BRIEFING
Subject: City Council Ward Boundary Changes MEMORANDUM
The Lane Council of Governments (LCOG) has provided the 2020 Census data for the City of
Springfield, and has determined that the Council wards have experienced population shifts that
may warrant readjustment of the ward boundary lines. However, due to delays in the 2020
Census results, the timeline for Council to adopt new ward boundaries is significantly shortened.
Council direction is needed to determine whether to consider redrawn ward boundary scenarios.
COUNCIL GOALS/
MANDATE:
Council Goals: Mandate
While it is not mandatory that the Council change or adopt new ward boundaries, it is strongly
recommended that the City Council consider whether ward boundaries should be changed based
on the results of the decennial federal census.
BACKGROUND:
All municipal elections must be free and equal under Article II, Section 1, of the Oregon
Constitution. Municipal elections and voting districts are not expressly provided for in the
Oregon Constitution. Because Springfield is a home rule city with all the powers expressly or
impliedly granted to it by law, the City's powers should be construed broadly to allow
the City to exercise all powers as fully as possible. City of Springfield Charter, Chap. 11.
§5. Thus, as a home rule city, the City of Springfield elections are limited primarily by the City
of Springfield Charter and Municipal Code, and the due process clause of the federal
constitution.
Chapter III, § 7, of the Charter provides that the Councilors "...shall be nominated by ward of
residence and elected from the City at large". It further provides, "Each of the six Council wards
shall be represented on the Council." The boundaries of the wards are established by the City
Council by adoption of a special ordinance, and the City is specifically empowered to adjust or
not adjust the boundaries of the wards, as it sees fit. Ward boundaries are to be maintained
together with maps of such boundaries on file with the City of Springfield Recorder's
Office. SMC § 2005.
The wards denote Lane County precincts as numbered and described in the Lane County
Elections Department. SMC § 2.000. Under state law, Lane County must fix the boundaries of
the election precincts after each federal census as directed by the Oregon Secretary of State. For
the 2020 Census, the Secretary of State has directed counties to establish precincts not later
than January 31. This means that, if the City Council wants to change ward boundaries based
upon the 2020 federal census, the new ward boundaries must be adopted no later than early
January to allow time for Lane County Elections to establish the precincts based on the ward
boundaries. Subsequently, the City Council will adopt the new precincts into the municipal code
by general ordinance. SMC § 2.000.
This Council Briefing Memorandum outlines three areas where Council direction is needed. If
the Council determines not to move forward with adopting new ward boundaries, the Council
need not discuss questions 2 and 3 in this memo.
Attachment 1, Page 1 of 3
MEMORANDUM
Page 2
1. Should the City Council adopt new ward boundaries based on the 2020 Census data, or keep
existing boundaries until the 2030 census?
As an initial matter, the City Council is not strictly required by state law or the Springfield
Charter to adopt new ward boundaries based each decennial federal census. The City Council
may chose not to adopt new ward boundaries based on the 2020 Census data, which would leave
current ward boundaries in place until at least the 2030 federal census.
An interpretive question exists as to whether the City's wards are "voting districts" that must
adhere to the principle of "one person, one vote" or if the wards are merely restrictions on
candidate eligibility. This is because the entire City of Springfield is a unitary voting district
and Councilors are elected by all electors of the City and not only those in their own ward. The
ward residency requirement may be simply a restriction on candidate qualifications, not a
restriction on voter choice. Nevertheless, the law may be, and the City's past practice has been,
to apply the restriction fairly across all candidates by having ward populations reasonably
equal.
For the past several decennial federal censuses, the City Attorney's Office has recommended
that the City Council adopt new ward boundaries so that the population of each ward remains
within 5% of "target population" defined as the population each ward would have if all wards
had equal population, which is one-sixth of the total population. The U.S. Supreme Court
has held that, generally, a population deviation less than 10% from the ideal "target population"
does not violate the constitutional principle of one person, one vote. See Voinovich v. Quilter,
507 U.S. 146, 161 (1993) (quoting Brown v. Thomson, 462 U.S. 835, 842-843 (1983)).
The 2020 Census data shows that the population for three wards of Springfield's wards are less
than 5% deviation from the target population, while the other three wards are greater than 5%
but less than 10% deviation from the target population:
ARD
2010 POP
2020 POP
2020 Equal
Population
2020
Variance
%
Variance
SPI
9,572
9,975
10,308
-333
-3.2%
SP2
9,539
9,585
10,308
-723
-7.0%
SP3
9,836
10,041
10,308
-267
-2.6%
SP4
9,924
10,173
10,308
-135
-1.3%
SP5
10,155
11,056
10,308
748
7.3%
SP6
10,377
11,021
10,308
713
6.9%
Totals
59,403
61,851
It is important to note that, due largely to the coronavirus pandemic, the federal census was
significantly delayed in 2020. In prior years, census data would have been available in the
spring, and the City Council and City staff would have up to six months to determine new ward
boundaries and obtain public input regarding the process to draw ward boundaries. This year,
however, the federal census data was received so late that the City Council has less than two
months to undertake this work.
Since the 1980 census, the City of Springfield has contracted with LCOG to analyze the
previous years' Census data, and determine several ward boundary scenarios. LCOG is prepared
to provide similar services to the City of Springfield for the 2020 Census and can work within
the significantly accelerated timeline to allow the City Council to adopt new ward boundaries in
early January 2022, if the City Council desires to move forward with adopting new ward
boundaries.
Attachment 1, Page 2 of 3
MEMORANDUM
Page 3
2. If the City Council decides to adopt new ward boundaries, what boundary adjustment factors
would the Council like to prioritize in developing new census map scenarios?
There are several factors that have been considered in adjusting the Springfield ward boundaries
in past cycles. Without regard to priority of the factors, past factors include:
• Population Variation. Equal population in each ward within a 5% range of the ideal
target population. The ideal target population in each ward would be 10,308. A five
percent range would be from 9,793 to 10,823.
• Compactness and Contiguity. Create compact contiguous wards.
• Geographic Boundaries. Use natural features such as rivers, mountain crests, parks and
open spaces to define ward boundaries.
• Political Boundaries. Consider state representative, school districts, cities when
adjusting ward boundaries.
• Transportation Links. Provide for transportation links within wards.
• Incumbents. Ensure no Council member is disqualified due to boundary adjustments
moving him/her out of their ward.
• Communities of Interest. Maintain communities of interest within ward.
• Ethnic and Language Minority Groups. Do not dilute the representation of any
language or ethnic minority group.
• Consideration of Areas of Future Growth. Faster growing wards should be
undersized in population to reduce population disparity in future years.
3. If the City Council decides to adopt new ward boundaries, which types of scenarios does the
City Council wish to consider at an upcoming work session?
Following the 2000 and 2010 census, the City Council has looked at three different ward
boundary scenarios:
• The least change scenario would modify the ward boundaries just enough to bring each
ward within the five percent variance threshold (see table below and attached map).
• The growth scenario would modify all or most of the ward boundaries with a goal to
accommodate anticipated future growth by leaving some wards with more or less than
the target population, depending on their expected relative growth potential. This
scenario would be based on input from Springfield planning and development staff.
• The last scenario is between the least change scenario and growth scenario. Ward
boundaries would be configured so that, to the extent possible, they "split the
difference" between the other two scenarios.
The City Council adopted a version of the growth scenario following both the 2000 and 2010
Census. However, it has been historically difficult to predict relative growth among
the City wards and past growth scenarios adopted by the Council have had mixed success.
Depending on the City Council's direction, LCOG will develop specific scenario maps for the
City Council's review at a work session on December 13.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Review information regarding 2020 Census data and Council
ward boundaries and provide direction for (1) whether the Council should redraw the boundaries
based on 2020 population data and if so, (2) the ward boundary scenarios that should be
presented to the City Council at future work session.
Attachment 1, Page 3 of 3