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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20251860.tiffHearing Certification Docket No. 2025-52 Board of County Commissioners Weld County, Colorado Sitting as the Redistricting Commission Public Hearing of the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County, Colorado, sitting as the Redistricting Commission, to allow a presentation by the Weld County Redistricting Advisory Committee and to gain public input on at least three (3) proposed maps of the boundary lines of Commissioner Districts in Weld County, Colorado, pursuant to Colorado Revised Statutes §§ 30-10-306 et. seq. A public hearing was conducted on June 30, 2025, at 9:00 a.m., with the following present: Commissioner Perry L. Buck, Chair Commissioner Scott K. James, Pro-Tem Commissioner Jason S. Maxey Commissioner Lynette Peppier Commissioner Kevin D. Ross — Excused Also present: Acting Clerk to the Board, Houstan Aragon County Attorney, Bruce Barker Assistant County Attorney, Matthew Conroy The following business was transacted: I hereby certify that pursuant to a Notice dated June 16, 2025, and duly published June 18, 2025, in the Greeley Tribune, a Public Hearing of the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County, Colorado, sitting as the Redistricting Commission, was conducted to allow a presentation by the Weld County Redistricting Advisory Committee (the Committee) and to gain public input on at least three (3) proposed maps of the boundary lines of Commissioner Districts in Weld County, Colorado, pursuant to Colorado Revised Statutes §§ 30-10-306 et. seq. Bruce Barker, County Attorney, made this a matter of record. Matthew Conroy, Assistant County Attorney, introduced Adrianne Sandoval and Stacey Suniga, as the Chair, and Vice -Chair, of the Committee, respectively. Ms. Sandoval and Ms. Suniga introduced themselves for the record and extended their appreciation towards the efforts of staff for their extra time and diligence, the engaged public, and their fellow committee members. Ms. Sandoval expressed her pride in how well the Committee worked together for the best interest of the Weld County residents, at -large. GC : CR.(cK/Rs), c A (ALL), go c c(KF) .1O07/25 2025-1860 CR0036 Hearing Certification — Presentation of Redistricting Advisory Committee and Public Input Page 2 z_= Mr. Conroy further introduced the remaining Committee members who reside in different locations throughout Weld County with wide ranges of political, ethnic, and socio-economic representation. He presented three (3) proposed maps the Commission created, identified as the Poudre, South Platte, and Thompson Plans, representing different voter district boundary lines for the purpose of gaining public input over the course of the next month. Mr. Conroy summarized statutory requirements the Committee needed to adhere to when creating the proposed maps, which are: mathematical population equality within five percent (5%), one (1) person equals one (1) vote, equal protection concerns, compliance with the Federal Voting Rights Act, must be compacted as much as possible, must preserve whole communities, whole interests, and whole political subdivisions as much as possible for essential fair and equal representation of any one (1) district. He indicated the Committee identified the municipal communities of interests along the Interstate 25 (I-25) corridor, as well as the municipal communities of interests along the U.S. Highway 85 corridor, while also identifying the white collar, versus blue collar communities, and how the ethnic populations throughout Weld County are represented. Mr. Conroy displayed how each of the proposed maps converge in the City of Greeley, indicated that the population census for the city was slightly less than past years and that it could be considered as a district; however, he also highlighted several concerns with this option. Commissioner James expressed his gratitude for the Committee's approach and diligence through the arduous process. He inquired as to digital access to view the proposed maps in the GIS Portal for better clarity and to study the breakdown of how the individual precincts differ from map to map. Commissioner Maxey echoed the sentiments of Commissioner James and further commented about the importance of the community meetings being held. Ms. Suniga, City of Greeley resident, reiterated her appreciation for the hard work and dedication of Weld County staff, indicated some of the viewpoints the Committee really looked at during their discussions and formulation of the boundary lines, and offered an example of how neighbors living across the street from one another will no longer be separated by a voting district boundary. She expressed how the Committee should be an example of how political parties can get together and discuss bi-partisan issues with the best resolve in mind for benefit of the communities throughout Weld County. fi Julie Cozad, Committee member and Town of Milliken resident, introduced herself for the record, and stated as a former Weld County Commissioner she offered unique viewpoints and highlighted some confusion of the current division between Districts 2 and 3. Dave Long, Committee member and Town of New Raymer resident, introduced himself for the record as a former Weld County Commissioner, and echoed he is pleased with the positive process, with other Committee members sharing their concerns, taking 2025-1860 CR0036 Hearing Certification — Presentation of Redistricting Advisory Committee and Public Input Page 3 the viewpoints of others that differed, and recognizing the importance of the various areas of interest throughout the County. He also acknowledged the importance of keeping the City of Greely as whole a possible, but reiterated the likelihood of unintended consequences that would come as a result. Brandon Ward, Committee member and City of Greeley resident, stated the process has been transparent, with all meetings recorded and posted online to allow for public input and for other Committee members to review and refer back to. Sonnie Subia, Committee member and City of Greeley resident, stated the diversity of the committee, both politically and ethnically, was vital to the most equitable representation of the public constituents. He expressed his gratitude for being part of the process. w = Ms. Sandoval, Committee member and Town of Platteville resident, gave a special thanks to Lane Mattox for his efficient documentation of the meetings and incorporating the reflected changes from week to week. Rudy Santos, Chief Deputy Clerk and Recorder, thanked the Committee members for their willingness to participate and put together the proposed maps that were presented to the Board and to the public. Carly Koppes, Clerk and Recorder, recognized the efforts of her staff and gave a special recognition to Mr. Conroy for his assistance throughout the process with the statutory requirements and translating them to be understood clearly. IR Barbara Whinery, City of Greeley resident, expressed her appreciation for how well the process has gone and for the collaboration among the Committee members. Ann LaPlant, City of Greeley resident, offered her opposition to the division of the City of Greeley and stated she would prefer the Commissioner district boundary map better align with Congressional District 50 to encompass more of the City as a whole interest. In response to her inquiry, staff reiterated the maps will be uploaded to be viewable online, and printed copies will be available in the Clerk to the Board's office. 11 Commissioners James and Maxey, along with staff and the Committee members, confirmed the logistics and accommodations to ensure the process will continue to be transparent to keep the public informed. There being no further discussion, the hearing was completed at 10:07 a.m. 2025-1860 CR0036 Hearing Certification — Presentation of Redistricting Advisory Committee and Public Input Page 4 The Board of County Commissioners of Weld County, Colorado, approved the above and foregoing Hearing Certification, on motion duly made and seconded, by the following vote on the 14th day of July, A.D., 2025: Perry L. Buck, Chair: Aye Scott K. James, Pro-Tem: Aye Jason S. Maxey: Aye Lynette Peppler: Excused date of Approval Kevin D. Ross: Excused date of Approval Attest: Esther E. Gesick, Clerk to the Board 2025-1860 CR0036 ATTENDANCE LIST (i .0 dl L0/30/7 NAME - PLEASE PRINT LEGIBLY LEGI ADDRESS (CITY, STATE ZIP) lt,u.ii v I. ,I Ii Ili w1, n r ILQUIV1 EMAIL 1 , Vl.4J,,,, COUNTY OF RESIDENCE klAY LI Iv SPEAKINej (Y/N)? SVnr P- gelACA.y ,5704 G1- /•y� ‘rcele , Co- SOlef ,S+acY.svwi,*(1, caA lk)aak _ Pr1 ens, wolf yc15 S-1-tAtulr h G albs l(< al0 . sotllolov ► n b �. cv�, (.� tea/ - PH tS Ra7M o, A,.. 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