Agenda - Charter Commission - 04/17/1997

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CASE # 7 RECEIVE CURRENT PRECINCT MAP FOR STUDY By: Ryan Schroeder, City Administrator Background: Included in your packet for the February meeting was a map showing the current precinct lines. The Commission had expressed an interest in reviewing the map for possible line changes and/or adding a precinct. If the Charter Commission is interested in beginning this task, staff will make the necessary contacts to get information needed. Jo Thieling has talked with the Anoka County Elections Department and they will assist staff in gathering information, etc. One of the criteria used to determine when the lines possibly should be redrawn is when a precinct reaches 2,000 registered voters. As of midnight, April 10, 1997, the numbers were as follows: Precinct lA - 1,733 registered voters; Precinct lB - 2,594 registered voters; Precinct 2 - 2,259 registered voters; Precinct 3A - 1,535 registered voters; and Precinct 3B - 1,677 registered voters.. The total, therefore, is 9,798 registered voters. However, beginning April 11 through April 28, 1997, the State of Minnesota will be reviewing its voter lists and those residents who have not voted in the past four years will be purged from the list. It is possible this could make these numbers significantly lower. One of the things to consider when drawing precinct lines is projected growth in the area. This would prevent having to go through redrawing lines again right away. Another consideration would be that all registered voters living within School District #728 should be in one precinct as opposed to having to have two sets of ballots in three different precincts. This would save time and there would be less confusion/work for the election judges in those precincts. There are currently 1,433 registered Ramsey voters living in the Elk River School District. (14.63% of the total City registered voters). Yet another consideration when redrawing lines would be that there are currently two District #11 School Board representatives and they cannot be in the same precinct. The school redistricting is done following the census, therefore, this will not happen again until the year 2002. From 1990 through 1997, it is projected that 238 new homes will have been constructed each year on average. If that trend continues, the resulting number of registered voters will increase at the rate of about 400 each year. The trend is expected to continue through the year 2000, with slowing after that. Hence, at the 1998 election, it is expected that there will be 10,400 registered voters. This will increase to 11,200 for the year 2000, and 11,600 for the year 2002, perhaps. Ninety percent of new home construction will occur in the urban area. It would seem, given the above, that at least six precincts should be considered, and possibly seven. For your information, the deadline for redoing precinct lines for the 1998 election would be June 1, 1998. There is some cost involved as a mailing would have to go out to the