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[Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission Public Forum #5]
GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED.MY NAME IS CHRISTINA
AND, UM, I WILL HAVE OUR VICE CHAIR LEWIS GONZALEZ.
START US OFF THIS MORNING WITH OUR PRESENTATION THAT WE HAVE SET UP FOR.
WELCOME AND THANK YOU FOR, UH, JOINING US, OFFERING UP ONE OF YOUR PRECIOUS SATURDAYS.
NOW THERE'S A LOT OF COMPETITION TODAY WITH ACL AND THE WOMEN'S MARCH AND A FOOTBALL GAME, BUT WE APPRECIATE YOU JOINING US TO DISCUSS THE IMPORTANCE OF REDISTRICTING AND ITS IMPACT ON OUR CITY OF AUSTIN.
AFTER 12 PUBLIC FORUMS AND MONTHS OF WORK, WE NOW HAVE AN APPROVED, PRELIMINARY MAP OF WHAT THE NEW CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT MAP COULD LOOK LIKE IN 2022 AND BEYOND.
PLEASE REMEMBER THIS IS A PRELIMINARY DRAFT AND WE ARE HERE FOR YOUR FEEDBACK.
PLEASE SIGN UP WITH CHRISTINE GRANADOS, OUR ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER AT THE DESK.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO WISH TO TESTIFY AFTER TODAY'S PRESENTATION.
AND YOU CAN ALSO PICK UP SOME COPIES OF THE PROPOSED DISTRICT MAPS AND LEAVE WRITTEN COMMENTS ON THESE MAPS, USING THE PAPER AND PEN PROVIDED THANK YOU TO THE TRAVIS COUNTY, UH, COMMUNITY CENTER AT OAK HILL FOR WELCOMING US INTO YOUR SPACE TODAY.
UH, I RECENTLY LEARNED OF THE 2013 COMMISSION ALSO UTILIZE THE SPACE FOR THEIR WORK.
SO WE APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT.
I WANT TO UNFORTUNATELY REMIND EVERYONE THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS ADHERING TO STAGE FOUR RISK COVID GUIDELINES.
WE ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO WEAR THEIR FACE COVERING AT ALL TIMES, UNLESS YOU ARE SPEAKING DURING THE PUBLIC TESTIMONY PORTION OF THE FORUM, PLEASE BE PATIENT WITH US.
WE WILL SANITIZE THE MICROPHONE AFTER EACH SPEAKER, LIKE TO BRIEFLY WALK YOU THROUGH OUR AGENDA FOR TODAY.
THE GOAL IS TO WRAP UP BY 1:00 PM.
WE WILL BRIEFLY GO OVER HOW TO STAY INFORMED AND HOW TO SUBMIT MAP FEEDBACK TO THE ICRC.
AS WE PUSH FORWARD TOWARD OUR NOVEMBER 1ST DEADLINE, WE WILL DISCUSS WINE.
INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING PROCESS IS IMPORTANT.
THE PROCESS ITSELF AND THE CITY CHARTER THAT GUIDES OUR WORK WE'LL SHOW YOU THE PRELIMINARY MAP AND THE DATA REASONING USED IN ITS CREATION.
WE WILL THEN MOVE INTO THE PUBLIC TESTIMONY PORTION OF THE FORUM.
EACH SPEAKER WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES, AND LASTLY, WE'LL JUST SHARE A FEW EVENT REMINDERS BEFORE YOU DEPART THAT COMMUNITY CENTER.
TODAY ON THIS SLIDE, YOU'LL SEE SOME LINKS TO OUR WEB PRESENCE, OUR FACEBOOK OR TWITTER OR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS, WAYS THAT YOU CAN STAY CONNECTED WITH THE ICRC LONG AFTER YOU LEAVE THE FORUM TODAY, I WANT TO TAKE THE TIME TO THANK OUR LOCAL MEDIA PARTNERS, SUCH AS THE COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER TELEMUNDO, THE AUSTIN MONITOR THE AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN KUT AND THE AUSTIN CHRONICLE FOR THEIR RECENT ICRC COVERAGE AND THEIR SUPPORT IN PROMOTING OUR EVENTS LIKE THE FORUM TODAY, WHILE THE 14 VOLUNTEER COMMISSIONERS OF THE ICRC MIGHT BE CHARGED WITH THE ACTUAL WORK OF REDRAWING, THE CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT MAP, THE FINAL PRODUCT WILL BE OURS AS A CITY, AS A COMMUNITY.
WE CAN NOT DO THIS WITHOUT YOUR INPUT.
IN ADDITION TO THE PUBLIC TESTIMONY, EXCUSE ME.
IN ADDITION TO THE PUBLIC TESTIMONY THAT YOU MAY GIVE AT TODAY'S FORUM, UM, YOU CAN ALSO SUBMIT FEEDBACK THROUGH AN ONLINE SURVEY@SPEAKUPAUSTIN.ORG VIA EMAIL TO ICRC DOT COMMISSIONERS AT AUSTIN, TEXAS.GOV.
WE'VE HELD VIRTUAL FORUMS, UM, PHYSICAL FORUMS LIKE TODAY, AND YOU CAN ALSO SEND US GOOD OLD FASHIONED SNAIL MAIL.
THIS IS A LIST OF OUR COMMISSIONERS ON THE SCREEN HERE, AND I'LL INTRODUCE THOSE WHO HAVE JOINED US TODAY.
COMMISSIONER'S STILL IN A YE SHE REPRESENTS DISTRICT ONE ON MY IMMEDIATE LEFT OUR CHAIR, CHRISTINE APPRENTICE.
SHE REPRESENTS DISTRICT SEVEN ON THE FAR RIGHT.
WE HAVE COMMISSIONER EUGENE SCHNEIDER WHO REPRESENTS DISTRICT SIX.
SO THE REDISTRICTING PROCESS, HOW DID WE GET TO TODAY IN 2012 AND 2012, AUSTIN VOTED TO SET A STANDARD FOR AN OPEN AND TRANSPARENT MAPPING OF OUR DISTRICTS.
IN 2013, AUSTIN BECAME THE FIRST CITY IN THE COUNTRY TO HAVE ITS CITY COUNCIL DISTRICTS DRAWN THROUGH THE VOLUNTEERISM OF A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT GROUP OF, OF RESIDENTS.
THESE MILESTONES CHANGED THE CITY'S ELECTION SYSTEM AND PROVIDED A POTENTIAL MODEL FOR CITIES NATIONWIDE.
THE 2021 COMMISSIONERS WANT TO STRENGTHEN THAT MODEL.
BUT WHY DOES HAVE A, HAVING AN INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING PROCESS MATTER? BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT IT'S THE BACKBONE OF DEMOCRACY FOR EQUAL REPRESENTATION AT THE CORE OF REDISTRICTING IS EQUAL AND FAIR REPRESENTATION, INCLUDING FOR HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES PROTECTED UNDER FEDERAL LAW.
EACH DISTRICT SHOULD HAVE AS CLOSE TO THE SAME NUMBER OF RESIDENTS AS POSSIBLE.
THIS IS THE ICRC NUMBER ONE PRIORITY.
IT ALSO SUPPORTS INDEPENDENT INPUT.
AN INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING PROCESS ALLOWS RESIDENTS TO HAVE
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A VOICE IN HOW THEIR COMMUNITY IS SHAPED WITHOUT THE INFLUENCE OF POLITICAL OFFICIALS.IN 2015, THE SUPREME COURT DID AFFIRM THAT VOTERS HAVE THE RIGHT TO CREATE AND ESTABLISH AN INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING COMMISSION AT A TIME WHEN POLITICIANS ELICIT DISTRUST CITIZEN REDISTRICTING CAN PROVIDE A TRANSPARENT AND TRANSFORMATIVE ALTERNATIVE TO ALL TO POLITICS.
THIS MOVEMENT INVOL INVITES THE INVOLVEMENT OF ANY AND ALL OF ITS RESIDENTS.
OUR WORK CANNOT HAPPEN WITHOUT PUBLIC FORUMS LIKE THIS ONE AND WITHOUT YOU AND ATTENDANCE TODAY.
SO THANK YOU AGAIN, IT ALSO ALLOWS US TO FOCUS ON THE RAPID CHANGES THAT OUR CITY HAS EXPERIENCED OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS.
THIS INDEPENDENT PROCESS ALLOWS US TO FOCUS ON REDRAWING DISTRICT BOUNDARIES BASED ON POPULATION GROWTH AND MOVEMENT RATHER THAN BEING CONCERNED WITH THE OUTCOME OF ELECTIONS.
SO WE'VE MENTIONED WHY AN INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING PROCESS IS CRITICAL, BUT LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT ACTUAL PROCESS FOR A QUICK MINUTE.
FOLLOWING THREE APPLICATIONS, THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE 60 MOST QUALIFIED APPLICANTS, THE RANDOM SELECTION OF THE FIRST EIGHT COMMISSIONERS, AND THEN THE INTERNAL SELECTION OF SIX ADDITIONAL THE 14 COMMISSIONERS OF THE ICRC HELD 12 PUBLIC FORUMS IN JULY AND AUGUST USING THE 2013 MAP TO GATHER FEEDBACK ON THE INTEGRITY OF LOCAL NEIGHBORHOODS.
THIS SERVED AS OUR FOUNDATION.
OVER THAT TIME, WE HOSTED 105 ATTENDEES LISTENED TO 48.
SPEAKERS COLLECTED OVER 50 MAPS, 87 EMAILS AND TWO VOICEMAILS PROBLEM WITH PUBLIC.
WE THEN TASKED OUR MAPPING SPECIALISTS, MR. GEORGE KORBEL, TO CREATE A FIRST ROUGH DRAFT OF A NEW MAP THAT PRIORITIZE THE CREATION OF DISTRICTS WITH REASONABLY EQUAL POPULATION USING THE DELAYED 2020 CENSUS DATA.
THE ICRC THEN VOTED AND APPROVED THE PRELIM PRELIMINARY MAP THAT YOU'LL SEE TODAY.
IN ADDITION TO THOSE POPULATION ADJUSTMENTS, THIS VERSION INCORPORATED CONSIDERATIONS OF THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT AND FEEDBACK PERTAINING TO THE INTEGRITY OF NEIGHBORHOODS THAT WE HEARD AT THE AFFIRMATION 12 FORUMS THAT BRINGS US TO TODAY.
THE ICRC HAS, UH, TAKEN PUBLIC COMMENT FOR 14 DAYS THROUGH FIVE PUBLIC FORUMS. THIS IS THE FIFTH OF THOSE FIVE.
THAT ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK WILL BE REVIEWED AND CONSIDERED FOR POSSIBLE INCORPORATION INTO A FINAL MAP.
AND ABOUT THAT FINAL MAP PROCESS, THAT PROCESS WILL BEGIN IN OCTOBER 6TH.
SO THIS COMING WEDNESDAY, WHEN WE WORK TO DRAFT AND APPROVE A FIRST VERSION OF A FINAL MAP, WE THEN TAKE THAT INITIAL VERSION BACK OUT TO THE PUBLIC FOR THREE MORE PUBLIC FORUMS IN MID OCTOBER.
THE FIRST IS ACTUALLY OCTOBER 16TH AND WE'LL RUN THROUGH THOSE DATES.
AT THE END OF THE PRESENTATION, THE ICRC WILL THEN ADOPT A FINAL MAP BY THE DEADLINE SET IN THE CITY CHARTER NO LATER THAN NOVEMBER 1ST, 2021.
WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT WE CAN MEET THIS DEADLINE.
LASTLY, THE ICRC WILL RELEASE A FINAL REPORT FOLLOWING THE ADOPTION OF A FINAL MAP.
OUR SUBCOMMITTEE HAS ALREADY BEGUN WORK ON THIS IMPORTANT AND INFORMATIVE DOCUMENT.
SO HOW DO WE DRAW MAPS AT THE FOREFRONT OF THIS PROCESS IS THE CITY CHARTER ADHERENT TO SECTION THREE, THE COMMISSIONERS MUST DRAW EACH DISTRICT'S BOUNDARY USING THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA THAT YOU'LL SEE ON THESE TWO SLIDES.
THIS IS AN ORDER OF PRIORITY FROM TOP TO BOTTOM.
MOST OF OUR GUIDELINES ARE PRETTY CUT AND DRY.
FOR EXAMPLE, PRIORITY NUMBER ONE, EACH DISTRICT SHALL HAVE REASONABLY EQUAL POPULATION WITH OTHER DISTRICTS.
FOR EXAMPLE, ACCORDING TO THE 2020 CENSUS DATA DISTRICT SIX IS THE MOST OVERPOPULATED, UM, DISTRICT.
AND WE COULD ONLY SHIFT POPULATION TO ITS NEIGHBORING DISTRICTS OF D 10 AND D SEVEN PARTY.
NUMBER TWO DISTRICT SHALL COMPLY WITH THE FEDERAL VOTING RIGHTS ACT.
THIS IMPACTED OUR DRAWING OF DISTRICTS, 1, 2, 3, AND FOUR ON THE EAST SIDE OF AUSTIN, WHICH ARE THE CITY'S PROTECTED OPPORTUNITY DISTRICTS PRIORITY.
NUMBER THREE DISTRICT SHALL BE GEOGRAPHICALLY.
CONTIGUOUS DISTRICTS CAN SOMETIMES TAKE ODD SHAPES.
WHY CAN'T THEY JUST BE STRAIGHT LINES, UH, EQUAL SHAPES.
DISTRICTS MUST BE TOUCHING NO GAPS BECAUSE CITY PLANNING, UH, BUSINESS AND NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENTS DO NOT HAPPEN IN NEAT AND TIDY SHAPES.
AND BECAUSE PEOPLE LIVE IN DIFFERENT DENSITIES, UM, AND THESE DISTRICTS MUST BE EQUALLY A REASONABLY EQUAL POPULATION.
THIS CAN CREATE SOME STRANGE SHAPES.
IT DOES NOT MEAN THOUGH THAT THAT DISTRICT IS GERRYMANDERED TO SAY A DISTRICT IS GERRYMANDERED WOULD BE TO IMPLY THAT IT WAS DESIGNED THAT WAY TO GIVE AN ADVANTAGE TO A POLITICAL CANDIDATE OR A POLITICAL PARTY, WHICH IS NOT THE CASE IN THIS APOLITICAL REDISTRICTING PROCESS PRIORITY.
NUMBER FOUR, THIS IS WHY YOU HAVE JOINED US TODAY.
THE GEOGRAPHIC INTEGRITY OF LOCAL NEIGHBORHOODS OR LOCAL COMMUNITIES OF INTEREST SHALL BE RESPECTED IN A MANNER THAT MINIMIZES THEIR DIVISION TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE WITHOUT VIOLATING ANY OF THE PROCEEDINGS.
UH, SUBSECTIONS THE FEEDBACK THAT WE RECEIVE FROM YOUR PUBLIC TESTIMONY TODAY GENERALLY FALLS INTO THIS CATEGORY.
NUMBER FIVE, DISTRICT BOUNDARIES SHALL BE DRAWN TO ENCOURAGE GEOGRAPHICAL COMPACTNESS DISTRICTS SHOULD NOT BE DRAWN IN A WAY THAT MAKES THEM SPRAWL UNNECESSARILY.
THEY SHOULD BE COMPACT, MEANING THAT RESIDENTS OF THE SAME DISTRICT SHOULD LIVE AS NEAR TO
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ONE ANOTHER AS PRACTICAL.THE NEXT SLIDE, THE FINAL TWO PRIORITIES PARTY.
NUMBER SIX, DISTRICT BOUNDARIES SHALL BE DRAWN USING THE BOUNDARIES OF EXISTING ELECTION PRECINCTS.
UH, YOU CAN SEE THE SPLIT OF SOME BTDS THAT IS VOTING TABULATION DISTRICTS AND SOME, UM, THROUGH SOME NEIGHBORHOODS IN THE 2013 MAP, WE CAN DEVIATE FROM KEEPING THEM WHOLE WHEN NECESSARY, SUCH AS A CASE FOR A PRIORITY.
NUMBER TWO FOR THE POPULATION OF AN OPPORTUNITY TO DISTRICT AND FINALLY PRIORITY.
NUMBER SEVEN, DISTRICT BOUNDARIES SHALL BE DRAWN USING GEOGRAPHICALLY IDENTIFIABLE BOUNDARIES.
WE HAVE SOME NATURAL BOUNDARIES IN AUSTIN LIKE TRAVIS SHOW CREEK, THE MANY PARTS OF THE GREENBELT.
THESE CAN MAKE GREAT CITY COUNCIL BOUNDARIES AS WELL.
CAN ALSO THINK OF HIGHWAYS, UH, LAKES, UM, GREEN SPACES AND HISTORICAL AREAS IN AUSTIN WERE ALSO CONSIDERED UNDER THIS PRIORITY.
I'M GOING TO TURN THE MIC OVER NOW TO OUR CHAIR.
SHE'S GOING TO SHOW THE PRELIMINARY MAP AND SPEAK ON SOME DATA THAT WAS USED IN ITS CREATION.
ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
ON THIS SLIDE, WE GOT A LOT OF NUMBERS.
APOLOGIZE IF YOU CAN'T SEE IT FROM, FROM THE BACK OF THE ROOM.
UM, BUT THIS IS THE POPULATION GROWTH BY DISTRICT FROM 2010 TO 2020, AND THEN ON THE RIGHT HAND COLUMN, THAT'S THE ADJUSTED POPULATION PER PROPOSED NEW DISTRICT IN 2010, THE POPULATION OF AUSTIN STOOD AT 790,000.
SO THE IDEAL POPULATION PER CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT IN 2013 WAS 79,000.
THE LARGEST DISTRICT LAST TIME WAS DISTRICT SIX AND THE SMALLEST DISTRICT WAS DISTRICT ONE WITHIN THOSE 2013 BOUNDARIES.
BY LAST YEAR, DISTRICT SIX WENT FROM BEING A 3.7, 2% ABOVE DEVIATION TO 12.7, 6% ABOVE DEVIATION.
SO IT HAD REALLY, REALLY GROWN, UM, MEANWHILE DISTRICT FOREST POPULATION BARELY GREW OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, JUST BY ABOUT 1300 RESIDENTS TODAY.
THE IDEAL POPULATION PER EACH OF THE 10 DISTRICTS SITS AT 96,000, APPROXIMATELY BASED ON THE CURRENT CITY'S POPULATION OF 961,855 PEOPLE.
UM, AND THAT IS A NUMBER PROVIDED TO US BY THE 2020 CENSUS DATA.
AND THAT IS ABOUT A 21% INCREASE IN OUR CITY'S POPULATION SINCE 2010 OR ABOUT 172,000 PEOPLE.
THESE DISTRICTS ARE ALL WITHIN THE LEGAL DEVIATION RANGE.
SO YOU'LL NOTICE THE LARGEST POPULATION IN THE PRELIMINARY MAP HAS DISTRICT EIGHT CURRENTLY AT 101,000, WHICH IS FIVE ABOUT ROUGHLY FIVE AND A HALF PERCENT, UH, ABOVE DEVIATION WHILE THE SMALLEST POPULATION IN OUR PRELIMINARY MAP IS DISTRICT THREE SITTING AT 92, 90 3000 AND A MINUS 3.39% DEVIATION.
SO IF YOU TAKE THESE TWO ENDS OF THE POPULATION DISTRIBUTION, YOU GET A TOTAL OF 8.8, 1% DEVIATION, WHICH DOES SIT UNDER THE 10% DEVIATION LIMIT.
A FEW OTHER CONSIDERATIONS THAT THE COMMISSION, UM, TOOK IN ADDITION TO POPULATION SHIFTS, COMMISSIONERS REQUESTED EXPERT TESTIMONY ON AUSTIN'S HISTORY, INCLUDING ITS RACIAL HISTORY, POLICIES, TRANSPORTATION, LAND ATTRIBUTES, AND DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS.
AND WE'VE DONE THIS ON AN ONGOING BASIS.
THE ICRC HEARD FROM TRAVIS COUNTY ABOUT ITS VOTING PRECINCTS AND PLANS TO WORK WITH THE COUNTY ON REDISTRICTING AS NECESSARY.
AND WE ALSO HEARD FROM AUSTIN ISD AS PART OF THE PROCESS OF GAINING FOUNDATIONAL KNOWLEDGE, THE COMMISSION WAS ALSO EDUCATED ON THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT AND OTHER APPLICABLE LAWS AND STATUTES.
THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT SECTION TWO IS WHERE THE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA BECOMES RELEVANT.
SECTION TWO PROHIBITS VOTING PRACTICES AND REDISTRICTING PLANS THAT DISCRIMINATE ON THE BASIS OF RACE, COLOR, OR MEMBERSHIP IN A LANGUAGE MINORITY GROUP, MINORITY OPPORTUNITY DISTRICTS THAT ARE DRAWN TO HAVE A MAJORITY PEOPLE OF COLOR AS THE VOTING AGE POPULATION ARE PROTECTED SO THAT THEY MAY HAVE A CHANCE TO ELECT A CANDIDATE OF THEIR CHOICE.
UH, AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN REDISTRICTING CONSIDERATION IS ALSO PUBLIC INPUT, OF COURSE, WHILE WE'RE ALL HERE THIS MORNING.
SO THE ICRC PRODUCED A DOCUMENT THAT LISTED ALL THE PUBLIC INPUT WE'D RECEIVED IN ALL FORMS BY DISTRICT SO THAT THE COMMISSIONERS COULD HAVE A CLEARER PICTURE OF WHAT WAS BEING ASKED OF US IN THE PROCESS.
AND THIS WAY COMMISSIONERS COULD UNDERSTAND AND ADVOCATE FOR THE ASKS COMING FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE DISTRICTS.
SINCE WE HAVE ONE TO TWO COMMISSIONERS FROM EVERY CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT, ADDITIONALLY, THE COMMISSION CHOSE TO START WITH THE 2013 MAP THAT WAS FORMED ALONG WITH THE COUNCIL STRUCTURE CHANGE TO TEN ONE.
AND THESE DISTRICTS HAVE PROVIDED A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR THE 2021 ICRC HAVING PROVIDED THEIR RATIONALE IN THEIR FINAL REPORT FROM 2013, UH, WITH FIDELITY TO THE CITY CHARTER PRIORITIES.
THE ORIGINAL MAP WAS BASED ON THE SAME STANDARDS WE'RE BASING OUR MAPS ON AND UPON REVIEWING
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THE 2013 FINAL REPORT.THE COMMISSION FOUND THAT THE LOCATIONS OF FACILITIES MAJOR LANDMARKS AND NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE REMAINED STABLE, EVEN IF RACIAL DEMOGRAPHICS HAVE CHANGED AND THE CITY HAS GROWN.
SO GIVEN THAT, AND THE VOTING PRECINCTS ARE VTS, MANY OF THE BOUNDARY LINES ARE STABLE.
SO WE ARE GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, SOME KEY CHANGES FROM THE PRELIMINARY MAP, UM, AND THEN COMPARING THAT TO THE CURRENT CITY COUNCIL MAP.
SO, UM, AFTER THIS, WE WILL GIVE YOU ALL SOME TIME TO REVIEW THE MAPS MORE IN DETAIL, UH, BEFORE WE COME BACK TOGETHER FOR PUBLIC TESTIMONY.
AND AS A REMINDER, WE DO HAVE THESE MAP PRONOUNCE SITTING OUTSIDE, IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR OWN COPIES, UM, OR YOU CAN EMAIL US BY YOUR TESTIMONY AT A LATER DATE.
SO AS WE SAW EARLIER, THE DATA SUPPORTS A CHANGE TO THE SHAPE OF DISTRICTS THAT HAVE GROWN SIGNIFICANTLY AS WELL AS THEIR ADJACENT DISTRICTS.
SO DISTRICT SIX, 10 AND SEVEN WERE OF SIGNIFICANT FOCUS IN THE MAPPING DISCUSSIONS.
UH, NOTABLY DISTRICT SIX POPULATION GREW, UM, BY A LARGE ASIAN POPULATION, WHICH NOW SITS AT NEARLY 28% IN THAT DISTRICT.
AND ANOTHER INTERESTING NOTE ABOUT DISTRICT SIX, AS AN EXAMPLE, OVER 70,000 RESIDENTS RESIDE IN WILLIAMSON COUNTY WITHIN THAT DISTRICT, UH, CONVERSELY IN A CASE OF A DISTRICT THAT HAS NOT GROWN LIKE DISTRICT FOUR, IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN A RELATIVELY EQUAL POPULATION ACROSS ALL DISTRICTS, THIS ONE NECESSITATED TAKING POPULATION FROM ITS SURROUNDING DISTRICT SEVEN AND ONE, SOME DISTRICTS SUCH AS TWO AND FIVE REQUIRED MINIMAL CHANGE BECAUSE THE POPULATION GROWTH WITHIN ITS CURRENT BOUNDARIES MATCHED THE POPULATION SIZE OF DISTRICTS BASED ON THE CITY'S 2020 POPULATION.
THESE MAPS WERE DRAWN, STARTING WITH CONSIDERATION OF THE BOUNDARIES OF PROTECTED MINORITY OPPORTUNITY DISTRICTS.
ON THE EAST SIDE THAT'S DISTRICTS ONE THROUGH FOUR, RATHER THAN STARTING FROM A DIFFERENT ORIENTATION.
THIS WAS TO ENSURE THE LARGEST POSSIBLE CONCENTRATION OF BLACK AND HISPANIC POPULATIONS WITHIN THESE BOUNDARIES SO THAT THEY HAVE THE GREATEST CHANCE OF ELECTING A CANDIDATE OF THEIR CHOICE.
AND THIS IS ALL SUPPORTED BY THE DATA.
THE COUNTY WILL NOT RELEASE THEIR NEW VTS UNTIL LATER IN THE YEAR.
AND SO FOR THE TIME BEING, SINCE WE'RE A LITTLE AHEAD OF THE GAME, THE ICRC HAS USED THE EXISTING SHAPE OF VTS TO GUIDE OUR CHANGES.
THE COUNTY HAS INFORMED US THAT SOME OF THESE VTS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE ALSO BASED ON THE NEED FOR EQUAL POPULATION AND THE ICRC MAY MINORLY ADJUST LINES AFTER NOVEMBER 1ST TO ACCOMMODATE THESE CHANGES.
BUT OVERALL MUCH OF THE MAP HAS STAYED THE SAME FIRST, JUST TO REVIEW CHANGES THAT YOU SEE REFLECT POPULATION CHANGE AND THE NEED TO DRAW BOUNDARIES THAT CONTAIN EQUAL WITHIN THEM.
AND THIS WAS BEST ACCOMPLISHED USING VTS OR VOTING PRECINCTS.
SECOND DISTRICTS WITH HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF PEOPLE OF COLOR WERE PRIORITIZED AS REQUIRED BY THE FEDERAL VRA.
AND FINALLY THE HEART OF THE COMMISSION'S DISCUSSION LEADING UP TO APPROVAL OF THE PRELIMINARY MAPS BEFORE YOU, UM, HAD TO DO WITH, UM, I'M SORRY, HAD TO DO WITH COMMUNITY INPUT.
SO WE UNDERSTAND THAT YOU MAY SEE A CHANGE TODAY THAT CREATES AN UNNECESSARY SPLIT IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, OR MAINTAINS A SPLIT FROM THE LAST MAP THAT YOU DID NOT WANT TO SEE.
AND IF THIS IS THE CASE, PLEASE DO SHARE THAT WITH US SO THAT WE HAVE ALL OF YOUR TESTIMONY ON RECORD FOR CONSIDERATION IN THE FINAL MAP.
ALL RIGHT, BEFORE WE GET INTO PUBLIC TESTIMONY, WE'RE GOING TO BREAK FOR ABOUT 10 TO 15 MINUTES SO THAT WE CAN STEP OUTSIDE AND VIEW THE MAPS THAT WE'VE ALL POSTED UP FOR Y'ALL THIS MORNING.
AND THEN I'M MATT DOUGAN, WE'LL HANDLE THE PUBLIC TESTIMONY FOR US.
AND I'LL TALK US THROUGH THE RULES OF THAT WHEN WE COME BACK SO WE'RE GOING TO GET STARTED WITH OUR PUBLIC TESTIMONY PORTION OF THIS MORNING.
UM, ALL INDIVIDUALS WISHING TO MAKE COMMENTS, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE SIGNED IN MATT HAS THE SIGN IN SHEET.
SO IF YOU LAST MINUTE, YOU WANT TO SIGN UP, GO AHEAD AND DO THAT.
EACH SPEAKER IS LIMITED TO THREE MINUTES, UNLESS ADDITIONAL TIME IS GRANTED BY THE CHAIR.
THE COMMISSION IS INTERESTED IN GATHERING CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK ON YOUR VIEWS OF THE PRELIMINARY MAP, ANY SUGGESTED ADJUSTMENTS, AND JUST THE OVERALL REDISTRICTING PLAN.
SPEAKERS CAN ASK QUESTIONS DURING TESTIMONY TO SEEK INFORMATION OR CLARIFY, UH, RATHER THAN TO SEEK DEBATE.
AND THE CHAIR CAN ANSWER, OR A COMMISSIONER CAN ASK THE CHAIR TO ADDRESS THE SPEAKER OR THE CHAIR CAN DIRECT STAFF TO ANSWER THE QUESTION.
THE SPEAKERS TIME WILL BE STOPPED WHEN THE COMMISSION IS ANSWERING A QUESTION, COMMISSIONERS WILL BE ABLE TO ASK QUESTIONS OF THE SPEAKER THAT ARE WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE PUBLIC TESTIMONY.
SO, UM, WHEN YOU FINISH YOUR TESTIMONY, YOU MIGHT WANT TO JUST STAY SEATED FOR A MOMENT
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TO SEE IF ANYONE UP HERE HAS A QUESTION FOR YOU.AND EVERYONE IS ASKED TO ABIDE BY THESE GUIDELINES SO THAT THE PUBLIC FORUM PROCESS CAN PROCEED SMOOTHLY AND ALL WHO WISH TO SPEAK, HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO.
AND WITH THAT BEING SAID, WE'LL GET STARTED.
MATT, WHO IS OUR FIRST SPEAKER? FIRST SPEAKER IS PECK YOUNG.
HELLO, MR. YANG, GOOD MORNING COMMISSIONERS.
UH, I WAS REQUESTED BY THE LEADERSHIP OF THE NAACP AND, UH, HISPANIC COALITION TO PRESENT TO YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION TO AMENDMENTS, UH, TO THE PRELIMINARY MAP.
AND YOU SHOULD HAVE HAD DISTRIBUTED TO YOU COPIES OF THOSE AMENDMENTS.
THE FIRST IS AN AMENDMENT TO DISTRICT ONE.
UH, IT IS TO RESTRICT THE AREA WEST OF OUR 35 TO AN AREA SURROUNDED ON THE NORTH, BY DEAN KEATON ON THE WEST, BY ROBERT DEADMAN AND ON THE SOUTH BY MAIN ROAD.
UH, AND TO LEAVE THE REST OF THE AREA INDICATED ON YOUR PRELIMINARY MAP IN DISTRICT NINE, I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS IN JUST A SECOND.
THE SECOND MAP BASICALLY MOVES VTD FOUR 20, UH, FROM DISTRICT THREE, UH, INTO DISTRICT NINE.
AND WE HAVE SUPPORTING DATA ATTACHED TO THAT BECAUSE WHEREAS THE MOVEMENT THAT WE HAVE SUGGESTED IN ONE, UH, SIMPLY MOVES PEOPLE THAT WE BELIEVE, UH, RIGHT NOW ARE TO MINIMUS, BUT WHICH RECALLS OF CONSTRUCTION PLANNED IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE AREA THAT IS NOW IN A DISTRICT ONE WE'D LIKE TAKEN OUT, UH, BUT CURRENTLY HAS NO DEMOCRAT, NO STATISTICAL IMPACT.
THERE IS A STATISTICAL IMPACT OF THE MOVE, THE VTD FOUR 20 FROM THREE, UH, UM, UH, INTO, INTO, UM, INTO NINE.
AND ALL OF THAT DATA IS PROVIDED TO YOU.
UM, WE THINK BOTH OF THESE WOULD IMPROVE THE SITUATION, ESPECIALLY IN THREE.
UH, IT WOULD MAKE IT A SLIGHTLY MORE HISPANIC, UH, SLIGHTLY MORE CITIZEN VOTING AGE HISPANIC, UH, WOULD IMPROVE THE DISTRICTS, ADD US AS A, HIS AS A HISPANIC OPPORTUNITY DISTRICT.
UM, AND WE THINK IT ALSO MAKES A GOOD FAITH EFFORT ON OUR PART TO ANSWER THE CONCERNS OF THE CITY, UH, RIVER CITY CITIZENS, UH, ORGANIZATION THAT WANTS SOME OF THIS AREA, SPECIFICALLY THIS AREA, UH, BACK IN NINE.
UM, THERE ARE OTHER CHANGES THAT WE SAW PROPOSED ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE BECAUSE THEY WERE ADVERSELY AFFECTS THREE, BUT WE LOOKED AT THIS IN CONJUNCTION WITH MR. CORBELL AND WE THINK THIS IS THIS CHANGE, UH, IS BENEFICIAL BOTH TO THREE AND TO NINE.
UH, I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU, MR. YOUNG, DO WE HAVE QUESTIONS? OKAY.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.
AND WE HOLD THESE AMENDMENTS, UH, WILL BE CONSIDERED TO BE PUT IN THE LIST FOR CONSIDERATION AT YOUR MEETING.
HEY GUY, I'M A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT EIGHT.
UM, I WANTED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE CHANGES THAT YOU MADE FROM THE DRAFT MAP TO THE PRELIMINARY MAP AND DISTRICT DATE.
UM, I SENT YOU AN EMAIL AND INCLUDE THEIR PARTICULARS.
AND WHAT I WANT TO DO IS SORT OF GIVE YOU SOME BACKGROUND OF THE CREATION OF DISTRICT EIGHT IN 2013, WHEN WE CREATED IT COGNIZANT OF THE IMPORTANCE OF NEIGHBORHOODS IN AUSTIN, WE TALKED TO THE AU HAN, WHICH IS OAK HILL ASSOCIATION OF NEIGHBORHOODS, WHICH GOES FROM CIRCLE C DOWN BASICALLY TO TRAVIS COUNTRY NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND THEN ALSO THE IMPORTANT TRANSPORTATION ROUTES, WHICH WERE 2 90, 71, THE Y, AND THEN MOPAC GOING DOWN TO THE RIVER.
AND SO WE CREATED A DISTRICT THAT INCORPORATED THOSE AREAS, THE NATURAL BOUNDARY TO THE NORTH WAS THE CITY LIMITS
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OF, UM, OF, UH, LAKEWAY HILLS AND THEN AROUND TO ROLLINGWOOD.WE INCORPORATED A SMALL AREA ALONG THE LADY BIRD LAKE TO INCREASE THE POPULATION BECAUSE DISTRICT GATE WAS ONE OF THE LOWEST IN POPULATION WHEN THE DRAFT MAP CAME OUT, I THOUGHT THAT WAS EXCELLENT BECAUSE THEY ELIMINATED THOSE AREAS.
IT DID NOT INCLUDE ANY OF THOSE AREAS SOUTH OF THE COLORADO RIVER, WHICH PROBABLY HAVE MORE IN COMMON WITH NORTH OF THE COLORADO, WHEREVER, IN TERMS OF SOCIOECONOMIC INTERESTS.
THEY'RE A VERY LARGE HOUSES THEY'RE BUILT ON THE LAKE.
UH, THEY HAVE VERY LITTLE TO DO WITH OAK HILL TRAVIS COUNTRY AND THE INTERESTS OF THE REST OF THE DISTRICT.
AND SO WHEN THE PRECINCTS WERE ADDED TO CURVE AROUND ROLLINGWOOD AND WESTLAKE HILLS, IT CREATED AN APPENDAGE TO THE DISTRICT, INCORPORATING PEOPLE WHO HAVE VERY LITTLE TO DO WITH THE REST OF THE DISTRICT.
UM, I WOULD URGE YOU TO REMOVE THOSE PRECINCTS TO GO BACK TO THE DRAFT MAP, WHICH WAS LESS THAN 1% FROM AN IDEAL POPULATION INCORPORATED.
THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT WERE ORIGINALLY CREATED, IT WAS I THOUGHT A DISTRICT THAT WOULD BE NOT CONSIDERED FOR CHANGE BECAUSE THE POPULATION WAS CORRECT.
AND THEN THERE WERE ALMOST 6,000 PEOPLE, 5,800 PEOPLE ADDED TO THE DISTRICT, MAKING IT THE LARGEST DISTRICT AND PUSHING IT REALLY TO WHEN YOU GO NEGATIVE TO POSITIVE NEAR THE 10%.
AND THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE SOME JUSTIFICATION FOR MAKING IT THAT LARGE AND AMONG THE PRIORITIES.
I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING THAT REALLY CORRESPONDED TO THAT.
I'D BE GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU, MR. HAAG, DO WE HAVE QUESTIONS? IT'S NOT A QUESTION.
SO THAT'S WHAT I KEPT MY HAND DOWN, BUT I APPRECIATE MR. HOGG'S TESTIMONY.
I APPRECIATE NOTI AND SPECIFICALLY, UM, ACCORDING TO THE PRIORITIES OF THE CHARTER, AND I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE LOOKING INTO BEFORE OUR NEXT MEETING FOR THE MAP.
SO I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TESTIMONY TODAY AS WELL.
THE NEXT SPEAKER IS MICHELLE REINHARDT.
UM, I SERVED ON A CITY COMMISSION AS WELL, SO I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
I KNOW IT IS A COMMITMENT, SO I WANT TO THANK YOU AND THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT TO OUR AREA IN DISTRICT EIGHT.
SO I AM A RESIDENT DISTRICT EIGHT.
I LIVE VERY CLOSE TO MR. HAGUE.
UM, AND I HAVEN'T BEEN AS FAMILIAR WITH THE PROCESS AS HE IS.
SO I HAVE BEEN KIND OF LISTENING AND TAKING IN SOME OF YOUR PRESENTATION, WHICH WAS GREAT.
I ALSO AGREE WITH HIM ABOUT THIS AREA THAT WAS ADDED.
IT WAS VERY HAPPY WITH THE BOUNDARY.
I FELT LIKE IT, THAT THE CRITERIA THAT YOU GUYS HAVE OUTLINED, UM, AND I AM A BIT CONCERNED ABOUT ADDING IT AND MAKING IT THE BIGGEST DISTRICT, UM, BECAUSE WE'RE STILL GROWING.
AND I KNOW THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU GUYS CONSIDER, BUT WE'RE GOING TO GET BIGGER.
I MEAN, SOUTHWEST AUSTIN IS GROWING CRAZILY.
UM, WE'RE ADDING MIXED, YOU KNOW, TYPES OF RESIDENTIAL HOUSING TOO.
SO THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WILL GROW AS WELL.
AND THEN JUST ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, I'VE LIVED IN DISTRICT DATE SINCE I MOVED TO AUSTIN IN 99.
SO A LONG TIME, UM, AND WE HAVE UNIQUE ISSUES HERE.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE A FAST GROWING AREA, BUT WE HAVE UNIQUE TRAFFIC ISSUES.
WE HAVE UNIQUE REPRESENTATION ISSUES.
UM, YOU KNOW, PRIOR TO THE, THE TEN ONE SYSTEM, WE DIDN'T REALLY HAVE GREAT REPRESENTATION, FRANKLY.
WE WERE SORT OF THE PART OF TOWN THAT WAS JUST, WE FELT VERY IGNORED.
SO WHEN W WHEN WE HAD OUR OWN REP, THAT WAS GREAT.
WE COULD ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, HAVE SOMEONE BUILD A RELATIONSHIP, SOMEONE TO PETITION WITH, UM, PAIGE ELLIS HAS COME AND SPOKEN TO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, OUR SPECIFIC 160 HOUSE, TWO VERY SERIOUS ACCIDENTS RIGHT OUTSIDE THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND SHE'S WORKING TO TRY TO, YOU KNOW, GET US SOME MORE PATROLS AND WE'RE GETTING A PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY, YOU KNOW, EXPEDITED.
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SO WE FEEL LIKE WE HAVE A BETTER SYSTEM.WE HAVE BETTER REPRESENTATION WHEN WE HAVE SOMEONE WHO CAN ADDRESS THOSE ISSUES IN OUR AREA.
UM, SO I AM CONCERNED EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT GERRYMANDERED, I WONDER HOW ADDING THAT WHOLE NOTHER SECTION WOULD AFFECT OUR REPRESENTATION.
YOU KNOW, SHE, IF SHE HAS GOT A, YOU KNOW, A HUNDRED THOUSAND PEOPLE TO REPRESENT, THAT'S A DIFFERENT THAN, YOU KNOW, A NEIGHBORHOOD CONTIGUOUS AREA THAT, THAT HAS SIMILAR ISSUES.
UM, LET'S SEE, WHAT ELSE WOULD I GOING TO SAY? I THINK THAT'S IT, BUT I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AS WELL.
DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY.
THAT'S ALL THE SPEAKERS THAT HAD SIGNED UP TO SPEAK.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TESTIMONY.
UM, I JUST WANT TO SHARE QUICKLY WHAT OUR UPCOMING SCHEDULE IS.
WE HAVE THREE PUBLIC FORUMS LEFT, AND THOSE WILL FOLLOW THE APPROVAL OF A FINAL DRAFT.
AND SO WE WILL PRESENT THAT FINAL DRAFT TO THE PUBLIC AT THESE THREE UPCOMING MEETINGS.
SO WE HAVE, UM, THE NEXT ROUND SCHEDULED TO BE AT, UH, FIRST AT THE SOUTH AUSTIN RECREATION CENTER ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16TH, STARTING AT 11:00 AM.
WE WILL THEN GO VIRTUAL FOR A FORUM ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 18TH, STARTING AT 6:00 PM.
AND FINALLY, WE HOPE TO SEE YOU AT OUR LAST FORUM ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20TH, STARTING AT 6:00 PM AT THE DELL JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER.
UM, AND SO I JUST WANT TO LIKE REALLY QUICKLY JUST SAY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING OUT.
IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, COMMENTS FOR US, YOU CAN EMAIL ICRC DOT COMMISSIONERS AT AUSTIN, TEXAS.GOV.
AND I PROMISE THAT GOES TO ALL 14 OF US.
WE RECORD ALL OF THEM AND THEY'RE ALL CONSIDERED IN THE MAPPING PROCESS.
SO WE APPRECIATE Y'ALL HAVE A GREAT REST OF YOUR WEEKEND.