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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN 07.14.2011 CC-SThe City Council of the City of Georgetown, Texas, met in Special Session on the above date with Mayor George Garver presiding. Council Present: Council Absent: Troy Hellmann, Danny Meigs, Bill Sattler, Pat Patty Eason, Rachael Jonrowe, Tommy Gonzalez Berryman Staff Present: Rachel Saucier, Assistant City Secretary __ Regular Session (Council may, at any time, recess the Regular Session to convene an Executive Session at the request of the Mayor, a Councilmember, or the City Manager for any purpose authorized by the Open Meetings Act, Texas Government Code Chapter 551.) A Call to Order - SPECIAL SESSION TO BEGIN NO EARLIER THAN 6:00 PM B Public Hearing regarding proposed redistricting plans -- Mayor George Garver, Moderator; Cobby Caputo, Legal Counsel and Presenter Garver noted that this meeting is a public hearing to give interested citizens an opportunity to speak to Council. He said that this is not a regular meeting so not all council members are present. He noted that the comments and data discussed at the meeting will be heard and viewed on the website by Council and the public He noted that Attorney Cobby Caputo, of Bickerstaff Law, will introduce the information regarding the maps currently under consideration. Garver added that public comment will be heard after the presentation and the time will be extended to five minutes for the public to speak. Garver added that the decisions Council makes regarding redistricting will affect the city for the next decade. He concluded that it is imperative for both Council and the public to be informed of all options prior to any decisions being made. He added that this meeting is an opportunity for Council to hear from the public and since this meeting is posted as a public hearing, the Council will have limited ability to engage in a dialogue. He said this meeting is for the public's information and input. Garver introduced Mr. Caputo to review the maps under consideration. Caputo said that Council is constitutionally required to undertake redistricting due to the single member district structure of the city. He added that the population in each electoral district must be evaluated to ensure not more than a 10% difference between the smallest and largest district upon comparison with an ideal sized district He said the ideal sized district in Georgetown includes 6,754 residents. He added that the 2010 Census numbers counted 47,276 people. Caputo discussed the variances of over and under percentages in comparison to the ideal size. He said each individual district must be compared to the ideal and the deviation must be determined. He added that District 4, including Sun City, the lake area, and along Williams Dr., was the biggest at 98.85% too large. He continued that District 6 was the smallest at 36% too few people with 4300 people. He said the goal is to balance City Council Meeting Minutes/ Page 1 of 5 Pages the districts within the framework set at no more than 10% deviation. Caputo indicated that the Voting Rights Act, Section 5, requires the Department of Justice to pre -clear any change to the voting system. He added that the rights of minority voters are being guarded under this section. He commented that the "cracking" process has been used by other entities to split the minority vote unfairly. He noted that District 7 is represented by a Hispanic representative and it is a "minority performing district" since the voters have elected a minority. Caputo indicated that the Department of Justice pre -clearance approval is required to hold elections. He added that the population equalization among the districts is the goal and the plan is to keep District 1 at 52-53% Hispanic and District 7 at 28-29% Hispanic. Caputo indicated that Council directed the firm to draw multiple maps for Council to consider based on a set of eight principles determined. He noted the principles included identifiable geographical boundaries such as roads and rivers. He added that a "community of interest" should be considered to maintain neighborhoods and those with similar interests. He said the next goal is to keep the boundaries similar as they are currently. The next factor, he added, are the current boundaries are unique since some cross back and forth across 135 and have generally odd shape. Caputo indicated contiguity, retrogression, and fragmenting are to be evaluated in drawing the boundaries. Caputo noted that Illustrative Plan 1, formerly known as Plan A, maintains the east side as basically the same as it currently stands. He added that District 7 wraps into downtown, and Gonzalez had requested to keep the district along the east side running north to south. He noted District 6 had significant crossing over 135, and had an odd shape. He said District 2 took a large portion of Old Town down to Highway 29. He indicated that the plan drawing goal was to make District 6 more compact and cut off the stretched out area of District 2 to make it more of a west -side district. He added that the area south of Southwestern would easily hold the original boundaries with the appropriate racial demographics, and District 1 maintains much of the original shape. He said District 6 now runs south of Northwest to Williams Drive and contains the entire University area He added that District 7 contains areas south of the University. He concluded that the east side design is basically the same among all the plans. Caputo noted the west side boundaries were addressed due to the huge size of District 4. He commented that the Jarrell ISD boundary was used as well as roads and part of the Sun City golf course. He added that the northern part of Sun City is exactly the ideal size and became one district He commented that the rest of Sun City must be evaluated and the Georgetown Villages area, previously linked to Sun City, was not necessarily compatible as a "community of interest." He noted illustrative Plan 1 (Plan A) separated Georgetown Villages and connected it to other areas along Williams Drive. He added that District 3 is the longest district including part of Sun City, the lake, and the predominant portion of previous District 3 are now grouped into a new District 3. He said District 2 is fairly compact around Williams Drive and along 135. He added District 5 stayed basically the same and picked up a little of the old District 6 and some southern areas. Caputo introduced Illustrative Plan 2, formerly known as Plan A Revised, reviewed how to split Sun City along east and west sides instead of the north -south split. He said there were some small population pockets and census geography that made it difficult. He said they cleaned up some boundaries and indicated minor changes to Districts 2, 3, and 5. He said the main change in this plan split Sun City differently than Plan A He added that the boundaries maintain Jarrell ISD in one district instead of two to make elections and ballot distribution easier. Caputo introduced Draft Plan B. He noted that the east side was set with boundaries cleaned up along District 1 and 7. He indicated Council's direction to bring back three plans to evaluate the western district boundaries. He commented that a portion of Sun City could be hooked into District 3 in Plan A, or hooked into District 2 in Plan B, or hooks it into District 5 in Plan C. Draft Plan C was not chosen by Council for further evaluation. He said in Draft Plan B, Williams Drive was used as a hard boundary with the same Sun City division as in Plan A He added that there are no voting rights concerns since District 1 and 7 are kept basically in tact. He commented that this plan uses the Heritage Oaks, Georgetown Villages, and Estrella. He added that the boundaries in District 1 and 7 are not greatly adjusted so there is not a voting rights concern. Caputo introduced Illustrative Plan 4, or B -Revised, is basically the same plan as B, but the alternate alignment of Sun City is used. He said the size of the district is appropriately sized and Williams Drive is used as a hard boundary with in writing, District 3 south and either District of the 2 or 5 just north of Williams. are met. Caputo noted that he is available for comment and Council is limited on comments since this meeting is a public hearing to listen to citizen comments. He added that if an alternative plan is provided, it must evaluate each district, in writing, the public instead of a single portion of the city to ensure the legal standards are met. Garver indicated the microphone is set up to view the audience and council. He reminded citizens to speak clearly into the microphone so it is recorded and heard over the broad cast Garver began the public hearing and City Council Meeting Minutes/ Page 2 of 5 Pages invited the first speaker. Speaker, Marlene McMichael, noted she lives in Georgetown Villages and commented that the outline of requirements is important such as the equality among the districts and the compact layout She noted that gerrymandering could be a possibility with spaghetti string districts. She added that the "community of interest" is important since Sun City and Georgetown Village have different interests, and she requested these neighborhoods get separated. Speaker, Barbara Pierce, commented that she and her husband Richard are present. She added that she was on Council when single -member districts were first implemented in Georgetown. She noted the observations she's made through reviewing the news and the website related to redistricting and the Councils original eight criteria were fair. She expressed concern that Plans A and A -Revised do not meet the community of interest that are compact and contiguous. She said District 3 crosses over another district and the population centers in these plans are inconsistent with the criteria. She said it is extremely important to be fair to each district. She added her preference for Plan B or B -Revised since it meets more criteria identified by Council, including the compact geographical boundaries and fair representation to the community. She urged Council to look for the best option for the entire community. Garver asked and Pierce responded about her service on the Council when the City went to single -member districts. She said she served between 1987 - 1991. She ran for an at -large position between 1987 - 1989 and then she ran for District 3, so she recalls single -member districts began around 1990. She added that while no lawsuits had been filed, the Justice Department was looking at Georgetown since there had been no minority representation under the at -large system. She added that Council made the decision to institute single -member districts to avoid any legal complications. Speaker, Adrienne Padfield, said she is a Sun City resident and discussed with Council that she moved to Georgetown to attend Southwestern. She noted that she is an attorney that has practiced in many counties across Texas. She informed Council that in Plan A it takes her 15 minutes to drive from her home to the post office, and it is gerrymandering. She added that either Plan A or Plan A -Revised are unacceptable. She noted that the City of Austin has had filed 6 lawsuits filed against them due to the redistricting process. She commented that voting districts are one thing to evaluate and Sun City carries the vote in Georgetown with an 80% voting rate. She added that Sun City residents all pay school taxes that benefit Georgetown ISD. She commented on Georgetown Village and that Plan 2 (B) or B -Revised offer reasons to vote for these plans. She added that Sun City votes and the City does not need lawsuits brought due to irresponsible redistricting as offered under Plan A or A -Revised. Speaker, Don Padfield, asked questions of Mr. Caputo regarding the criteria that Council adopted. He inquired about voting precincts and how the plans fit with the various redistricting plans. Caputo responded that the County is working on evaluating the various plans, but they are waiting on City Council to finalize a plan so that they may redraw the voting precincts. Padfield asked and Caputo responded that the county is redrawing each and every voting precinct. Caputo noted that the county is trying to have fewer precincts with larger populations per precinct with hard boundaries. Caputo noted that the County is trying to use hard boundaries such as 135 and Hwy 29. Caputo noted that Georgetown and Taylor must finalize their plans prior to the County being able to finalize new voting precincts. Padfield commented on the northern part of Sun City and the future growth potential. He urged Council to not leave that as one district along the northern boundary so the City does not have the same situation with redistricting in 10 years. Speaker, Adrian Gonzalez, noted his residency in the Georgetown Village neighborhood. He informed Council that he and his neighbors feel they are in the shadow of Sun City during voting. He said Plan A or Plan A -Revised gives the Village residents a greater voice and opportunity when voting. Speaker, Karin Truxillo, she noted her friendship with and business connections to residents in the Georgetown Villages. She commented about the Villages do not have a voice while combined with Sun City. She said there is not currently a "community of interest" and from her experience, moving from Sun City to Downtown, she sees the difference. She noted that the City needs younger people and people with families to have a voice, so she supports A or A -Revised. Speaker, Byron Raynie, noted equal representation as an important concept in governance. He said District 4 has suffered from unequal representation on the City Council. He noted that his taxes should afford more equal representation. He suggested the best plan is Plan A -Revised. Raynie commented that District 4 has three times the population as District 6 and nearly three times the population in District 3. He said Plan A -Revised will put the City on the best path. He commented that Sun City and Georgetown Village have been unequally City Council Meeting Minutes/ Page 3 of 5 Pages represented in the past and this plan will rectify the past problems. He noted that the revised plans split Sun City from east to west and allow growth of District 4 among the shared neighborhoods, either District 2 or District 3. He said that as Sun City grows, the population should be split among council districts. Speaker, Eva Siler, noted that she is the Chairman of the Board of the Citizens Council at Sun City Texas and is speaking on behalf of the organization. She said the residents in the organization work to continue the great quality of life they enjoy now, and she complimented the City Manager and City Council for communicating with residents regarding redistricting. She added that the City website is the best she's ever seen. Siler thanked Council Member Sattler who attended a meeting with residents to answer questions about the process and the maps. She noted that Sattler asked for a show of hands on each map presented at the meeting and overwhelming support was given for Plan B and B -Revised. She said Plan A and Plan A -Revised are unrealistic, not in the best interest of Georgetown and do not meet the original principles agreed upon by City Council She commented on Georgetown Village preference to be removed from District 4 and they desire Plan A. She added that Sun City does vote for the best candidate, but they are open to electing representatives from Georgetown Village that represent the interests of Sun City, Georgetown Village, and Georgetown as a whole. Speaker, Daniel Dance, commented that he heard many interesting perspectives and the truth is in the middle. He asked and Caputo responded to show Map A and Map B. He commented that the geographical boundary from north to south. He added that the reason for redrawing the boundaries is due to state and federal requirements. He said there is not a significant difference between A and B regarding the geographical distances. He asked and Caputo responded that gerrymandering is the intent to specifically draw districts to contain minority populations. Dance asked and Caputo responded that cracking is the term used to split minority districts. Caputo noted that packing is to put all minorities in one district. Dance asked and Caputo responded that the City hired outside legal consultants to prevent any discrimination from occurring during the redrawing of boundaries. Dance commented that throwing these terms around could possibly be viewed as a scare tactic, and he indicated his preference to clarify the real issues. Caputo commented that these plans have no racial or ethnic gerrymandering. Dance said in his business serves people in the Village and in Sun City. He said that Sun City will be served well by either Plan A or B, and the Village will have an opportunity to progress in either plan. Dance commented that property on Shell Road for the new school could be a great opportunity to include people. Dance added that some commentary expressed concern about the Sun City voting block, and he believes that voters do have demographic differences, but a good candidate will be considered from either Sun City or the Village. He concluded that Plan A is the best for Georgetown as a whole going forward and has heard the same from both communities. Speaker, Patty Pondrum, stated her residency in River Ridge and disagrees with the previous speaker. She said that she and others are concerned about their voting special interests while mixed with Sun City. Pondrum asked and Caputo responded about the proportion of Sun City voters versus District 3 voters in the plans. Caputo noted an estimate that the portion of Sun City voters not in District 4 is roughly 3,000, the previous District 4 was about 4,000 people, and the area around the lake is around 200. Caputo concluded that there are around 3,500 total voters as a rough estimate. Pondrum stated that Sun City does have a special interest, and she does not believe it is appropriate to prevent special interests of District 3 or District 4. She indicated her preference for Plan B -Revised, but she acknowledged that this plan could cause problems for the Village. She said that splitting the block with Sun City will either have to be her neighborhood or the Village. She requested a 50-50 split of voters within the districts as the boundaries are drawn. Speaker, Andy Webb, stated his residency in Georgetown Village. He thanked Council for their service to the community. He said it has already been stated, but the Village residents do feel that they are in the shadow of Sun City. He acknowledged that Sun City does vote and pay taxes, but the capped tax rate for most Sun City residents is illustrative of the differences between that neighborhood and the families with children in the Village. He added that the Village supports A or A -Revised, but he appreciates keeping the Williams Drive corridor to keep folks together with similar demographics. Speaker, Joe Pondrom, stated that he was the past co-chair of the public safety task force and he learned that to get something passed, the support of Sun City is needed. He stated that he is a past president of the River Ridge 3 homeowner association. He stated the community's preference for B or B -Revised. He added that he understands the Village requests, but to get something passed, you have to make friends and get people to vote. He commented that Council Member Sattler does a great job but Sattler lives north and representation is needed for those living south so they do not have to fight it out with Sun City. Garver concluded the public hearing and thanked the community for stepping forward to share their perspectives He added that the public comment is available on the website and in the public record. Garver asked and Caputo responded that another public hearing will occur next week and Council is scheduled to possibly take City Council Meeting Minutes/ Page 4 of 5 Pages action at the July 26 meeting. C Adjourn City Council Meeting Minutes/ Page 5 of 5 Pages Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 07:00 PM. Attest: City Secretary Rachel Saucier, Asst.