HomeMy WebLinkAbout20012111.tiff STATE OF COLORADO
DEPARTMENT OF LOCAL AFFAIRS /oe•co-o-p
1313 Sherman Street, Suite 521 �7_ i � . -4\
Denver,Colorado 80203 '^
Phone: (303)866-2771 'n c'*/
FAX: (303)866-4819 - -TDD: (303)866-5300 i \N"1g76 41"
Bill Owens
Governor
Bob Brooks
Executive Director
MEMORANDUM
TO: Boards of County Commissioners
CC: County Clerks/Administrators
FROM: Bob Brooks, Executive Director, Department of Local Affairs m
RE: Redistricting of County Commissioner Districts
DATE: July 26, 2001
As you are already aware, Colorado law requires that after each Census, county
commissioners must revise or alter their commissioner districts to ensure that each
district is "as nearly equal in population as possible based on such Census." This
process is to be completed by September 30, 2001. (See CRS 30-10-306 (4)
The Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) and Colorado Counties, Inc. are offering our
assistance to counties in carrying out this responsibility.
The requirement is initially one of reviewing current county commissioner districts with
the available Census data to determine if the districts are currently"as nearly equal in
population as possible." The process involves aggregating population data from each
Census block to arrive at the populations for each county commissioner district. Since
district boundaries may not exactly correspond with the Census geography, some
estimation might be required. There is no defmition in the statutes that gives any
guidance to what"nearly equal"means. There is some federal case law regarding
numerical equality in the context of congressional reapportionment. This may be
helpful in determining the level of precision required.
For this review, 2000 Census population figures by various geographic boundaries
(counties, municipalities, Census tracts, block groups and blocks) and 2000 Census
maps are required. Both are available in electronic format from DOLA and on the U. S.
Census Bureau's web site: www.census.gov. Further assistance can be accessed at the
Colorado Reapportionment Commission's web site
(www.state.co.us/gov_dir/reap/reapp index.htm) which will include information on
commissioner redistricting by the end of July.
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The U. S. Census Bureau will be mailing paper block maps to county commissioners
between August and October. With a deadline of September 30, 2001 to complete
county redistricting, these maps may not arrive in time to be useful. Ms. Rebecca
Picaso at DOLA can be contacted at (303) 866-2156 to discuss alternatives.
As you may be aware, current computer software applications allow for combining the
available Census data with the mapping capabilities of geographic information systems
(GIS). Many counties already use GIS and will be able to accomplish the redistricting
with the addition of Census data. Census data and maps for each county are available at
the U. S. Census Bureau's web site at www.census.gov. For those counties that can use
Shapefiles or ARC Export files, GIS data has been combined with 2000 Census
population figures and is available from DOLA at
http://www.dola.state.co.us/oem/cartographv/cartog.htm. In addition, ESRI, a private
GIS software developer, has made available a freely downloadable redistricting
extension to their ArcView desktop software. This product's web address is:
http://www.esri.com/software/arcview/extensions/district extension.html
Especially, for those counties without GIS capability, DOLA will attempt to provide
whatever assistance counties may need, whether it be on-site, in regional workshops or
in Denver. Please call Ms. Rebecca Picaso or Mr. Scott Olene at (303) 866-2156 if
DOLA can be of assistance. Chip Taylor at CCI is also available to assist in anyway he
can. His number is(303) 861-4076. In some cases, regional organizations and nearby
counties may also be able to help.
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