Redistricting Report: Agenda Item from October 18, 2011, City Commission Meeting

Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Consultant Report on redistricting alternatives for City Commission Districts:

The Boynton Beach Redistricting Alternatives Report (.pdf, dated October 3, 2011) transmits several alternative considerations for revised Commission Districts (.pdf) for the City of Boynton Beach, Florida.  All of the alternative district configurations presented for consideration meet required criteria as stipulated in the City Charter: “The election districts shall be of equal population, compact, proportional and logically related to the natural internal boundaries of the neighborhoods within the city. The principal of non-discrimination and one man/one vote shall be adhered to strictly”. These districting requirements in the City Charter are consistent with generally accepted standard practice and the legal rulings and guidelines that emanate from the 1965 Voting Rights Act and its Amendments. 

The population data for the City of Boynton Beach comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010 Census Redistricting Summary Files [Public Law 94-171].  Data on voters and voting come from the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections office.

The framework or criteria guiding the development of revised district plans can be summarized as follows: 

1. Reasonable population equality across districts

2. Geographic contiguity and appropriate compactness

3. Respect for the integrity of communities of interest

4. Consideration for the interests of sitting commission members, and

5. Maintenance of existing district cores to the extent possible.

According to the 2010 Census, the official 2010 population of the City of Boynton Beach is 68,215. Dividing by four puts the average population for each district at 17,054. Map 1 and Table 1 show the geographic boundaries and population counts for the current districts. The district with the greatest population is District 4 with 20,842 residents; the district with the smallest population smallest is District 2 with 15,020 residents. Districts 1 and 3 are almost equal in resident population at 16,147 and 16,206, respectively.

In summary, due to substantial population imbalance across the districts significant boundary adjustments need to be made to reach a reasonable population balance by district. The smaller districts must add population/territory and the largest district will need to release territory and thus population to several of its neighboring districts. To reestablish population balance, District 2 must expand significantly and District 1 and District 3 also need increased population. The four Alternatives presented address commission members’ comments made at the individual meetings and they follow the City Charter requirements and standard districting guidelines.

ALTERNATIVES 

□       All four Alternatives have reasonable population balance.

□       Redistricting Alternative C (.pdf) is the most balanced but it requires the most substantial territorial changes in the southern part of the city.

□       Redistricting Alternative D (.pdf) has the biggest population variation across the districts but is still within acceptable standards. It maintains the marina within District 2.

□       Redistricting Alternative A (.pdf) maintains the current boundaries in the marina/downtown area and has relatively modest population deviation across the districts.

□       Redistricting Alternative B (.pdf) also has relatively modest population deviation and it shifts the marina into District 3.

□       Alternatives A, B, and D use I-95 as the boundary between District 1 and District 3 in the southern part of the city. This straightens out the current irregular boundary in that area.

□       All Alternatives require significant territorial shifts due to the unbalanced population across the current districts.  

MINUTES and AUDIO RECORDING - OCTOBER 18, 2011 COMMISSION MEETING 

Agenda item, UNFINISHED BUSINESS, 11. C, Review the Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Consultant Report on redistricting alternatives for City Commission Districts

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