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Members of the county’s new Independent Redistricting Commission, charged with preparing a plan for reapportioning County legislative districts, took a first look yesterday at how population documented in the 2010 Census affects current legislative districts.  At the Commission’s second meeting Tuesday, County Information Technology Services Director Greg Potter, whose department will support the commission, cautioned that keeping districts as they are is not an option—that population shifts that have occurred over the past ten years place district population beyond the 10% variance among districts (5% above or 5% below the ideal) allowed by law.

Among the population shifts in the 2010 Census are a loss of population in the City’s Fall Creek area (about which some commission members expressed surprise and that Potter said he will investigate) and increases on West Hill in the Town of Ithaca and in the Town of Dryden.  Potter suggested that the Commission start with a set number of legislative districts—such as the current 15—and begin to review adjustment scenarios from there to assess potential ways to balance out the discrepancies.

The Commission also invited County Elections Commissioners Elizabeth Cree and Stephen DeWitt to comment on issues related to redistricting.  The Commissioners asked that tiny, carved-out mini-election districts be avoided, if possible, to decrease the cost of elections and minimize voter confusion.  They also said that, if villages could be contained as entire units in the legislative district-setting process, that could enable villages to have their elections in November, instead of the spring, also reducing cost.

The Commission began to develop a plan to seek input on matters related to redistricting before it begins to work on specific recommendations.  At its next meeting July 26, the Commission will invite current County Legislators to comment on the size of the Legislature—how well they think the current 15-district system works and what changes might be beneficial.  In August, commissioners decided to schedule two meetings, on the east and west sides of the county, to seek comment primarily from municipal officials.  The public will also be welcome to attend and comment at any of these meetings.  The Commission also plans to meet with City officials and to schedule a general comment session for the public in the fall.

Commission members, without dissent, also elected Sarah Reistetter-Akiri as the Commission’s vice chair.

The Commission must submit its recommended reapportionment plan (and any alternates) to the Legislature’s Government Operations Committee no later than March 1, 2012.

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