Colorado Reapportionment Commission (06/20/2011)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

COLORADO REAPPORTIONMENT COMMISSION

Date:	06/20/2011	ATTENDANCE

Time:	12:31 PM to 05:35 PM	Atencio	X
		Berry	X
Place:	LSB A	Carroll	X
		Jones	X
This Meeting was called to order by		Loevy	X
	Mario Carrera	Nicolais	X
		Salazar	X
This Report was prepared by		Tool	X
	Jessika Shipley	Witwer	X
		Webb	X
		Carrera	X
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
Review of Proposed Plans for Region 3 Public Testimony on Region 4		S3001v1 and H3002v2 Passed Witness Testimony and/or Committee Discussion Only

Note: This meeting summary is not an official record of the commission or of the meeting. It is not intended to serve as a transcript or minutes of the commission meeting. The audio recording of the meeting is the official record of the meeting. This summary may be used as a guide to the audio recording. To access the audio recording of a commission meeting, visit the Colorado Joint Legislative Library located in the State Capitol, Room 048 (basement/ground floor level). You will need to note the date, time, and location of the meeting to access the audio recording. Copies of the audio recordings may be obtained at the library if you bring with you blank, recordable compact discs or a flash drive. Librarians are on site and available to assist you with accessing an audio recording.

12:32 PM -- Review of Proposed Plans for Region 3

The meeting was called to order. Commissioner Carrera opened the discussion of Region 3 proposed maps. Region 3 includes the following counties: Archuleta, Chaffee, Delta, Dolores, Eagle, Garfield, Grand, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Jackson, Lake, La Plata, Mesa, Moffat, Montezuma, Montrose, Ouray, Pitkin, Rio Blanco, Routt, San Juan, San Miguel, and Summit. The commission briefly discussed the official record of the commission's proceedings.


BILL:	Review of Proposed Plans for Region 3
TIME:	12:34:33 PM
MOVED:	Atencio
MOTION:	Defer the review and adoption of minutes from each meeting until the June 27, 2011, meeting of the commission. The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Tool
		VOTE
	Atencio
	Berry
	Carroll
	Jones
	Loevy
	Nicolais
	Salazar
	Tool
	Witwer
	Webb
	Carrera

Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection

12:36 PM

The commission discussed Region 3 plans for the Senate. The two plans that were submitted, S3001v1 and S3002v1 (Attachments A and B, respectively), are identical. Members of the commission discussed their positions on the plan.


BILL:	Review of Proposed Plans for Region 3
TIME:	12:37:15 PM
MOVED:	Witwer
MOTION:	Adopt Senate plan S3001v1 (Attachment A). The motion passed on a vote of 11-0.
SECONDED:	Carroll
		VOTE
	Atencio	Yes
	Berry	Yes
	Carroll	Yes
	Jones	Yes
	Loevy	Yes
	Nicolais	Yes
	Salazar	Yes
	Tool	Yes
	Witwer	Yes
	Webb	Yes
	Carrera	Yes

Final YES: 11 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

12:39 PM

The commission moved on to a discussion of Region 3 plans for the House. Commissioner Berry discussed her submission, H3001v1 (Attachment C). She suggested amending out Park and Fremont counties until such time as the commission hears testimony about those counties. She made further comments about the plan. She spoke about the communities of interest that exist in Region 3. She indicated that some areas are difficult to reach,due to high mountain passes and inclement weather. She discussed her proposed split of Montezuma County and her desire to keep Eagle County whole.

12:51 PM

Commissioner Tool discussed his submission, H3002v1 (Attachment D). He distributed H3002v2 (Attachment E) and spoke about the amendments he made to the original map after its submission. He discussed the process he followed during the creation of his map and commented about some of the challenges he faced.

01:00 PM

Mr. Troy Bratton, Reapportionment Commission Staff, explained the staff submission, H3003v1 (Attachment F). He discussed the county splits in the map. Commissioner Carroll commented about potential problems that might occur in attempting to travel around proposed House District 58. Mr. Bratton agreed there could be difficulties.

01:04 PM

Commissioner Jones discussed his submission, H3004v1 (Attachment G). He listed the criteria the commission is required to follow in the redistricting process. He commented at length about the benefits of his map. He distributed a map showing a zoomed in view of Glenwood Springs to Aspen (Attachment H). He continued to discuss the superiority of his submission in relation to the maps submitted by other commissioners and staff (Commissioner Jones' written testimony is appended as Attachment I). The commissioners discussed city and county splits in the various House proposals. Discussion ensued about local political races in Region 3.

01:28 PM

Commissioner Atencio asked commissioners Tool and Jones to provide clarification about their proposals. Commissioner Berry commented about her concerns with Commissioner Jones' proposal. Commissioner Carroll commented about competitive issues in the Region 3 proposals. Commissioner Witwer asked for clarification about Commissioner Jones' proposal. Discussion ensued between Commissioner Witwer and Commissioner Jones.

01:41 PM

Commissioner Nicolais offered comments about the relative benefits of using the political summary versus the district registration report. Members of the commission talked about the various interests of the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain tribes in southern Colorado. Commissioner Carroll commented about the competitiveness of the Region 3 House districts in each of the proposals. She expressed her opinion that unaffiliated voters represent a community of interest. Discussion continued about competitiveness.

01:51 PM

Commissioner Tool expressed his opinion that his proposal represents a compromise between H3001v1 and H3004v1. Commissioner Webb commented about the issues of the two Indian tribes in southern Colorado. He expressed his opinion that those tribes would prefer to be separated. Commissioner Berry returned to the discussion of the competitiveness of the House districts in Region 3.

02:00 PM

The commission took a recess to hear public testimony.

02:08 PM -- Public Testimony on Region 4

The commission came back to order to hear public testimony on Region 4. Region 4 includes the following counties: Custer, Clear Creek, Douglas, El Paso, Fremont, Gilpin, Park, and Teller.

02:09 PM -- Mr. Greg Russi, representing himself as a member of the New Castle Town Council, spoke about the community of interest that is represented by the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority. Mr. Russi discussed the individuals who live in New Castle and work in Glenwood Springs and Aspen. He continued to explain the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority community of interest. He expressed his opinion that House District 61 is well-balanced. He asked that New Castle remain with Glenwood Springs, Aspen, El Jebel, and Basalt. He responded to questions from the commission. He presented a statement from the mayor of New Castle (Attachment K).

02:19 PM -- Mr. Andrew Gold, Mr. Robert McVay, and Mr. Harry Kottcamp, representing Grand County, testified. Mr. Gold expressed support for H3001v1. He stressed that Grand County should not be included in a Front Range House district. Mr. McVay expressed his support for H3001v1 and discussed the importance of transportation access. Mr. Kottcamp spoke about the various interests in Grand County. Discussion ensued between the witnesses and the commission about transportation access through Grand County.

02:28 PM -- Mr. Dennis Moore, representing himself, spoke about the changes he has seen since he moved to Colorado Springs in 1991. Mr. Moore expressed his opinion that the elected legislator for House District 18 does not represent the interests of the citizens who live in the east end of the district. Discussion ensued between Mr. Moore and Commissioner Nicolais about the area of Colorado Springs that Mr. Moore feels should be included in House District 17, rather than 18. Mr. Moore and Commissioner Loevy discussed the ideal district in Colorado Springs. Mr. Moore commented that splitting districts consistent with existing police divisions would make sense. Further discussion ensued about the proper dividing lines for House District 17.

02:43 PM -- Mr. Chuck Broerman, representing himself, spoke about his background. Mr. Broerman discussed the changes in El Paso County in the past 20 years. He expressed his opinion that there should be eight contiguous House districts in El Paso County. He stressed the importance of compactness.

02:45 PM -- Senator Gail Schwartz, representing herself, spoke about her experience representing Senate District 5. Senator Schwartz discussed the interests of Gunnison County and transportation access issues. She recommended that New Castle remain with the Roaring Fork Valley towns as one community of interest. She commented that the southern corner of Hinsdale County is not easily accessible from any location other than Pagosa Springs. Commissioner Salazar made complimentary remarks about Senator Schwartz. Senator Schwartz responded to questions from the commission about the possible splitting of Gunnison and Hinsdale counties.

02:58 PM -- Mr. Charles Sakai, representing himself, spoke about his experience living in Colorado Springs. Mr. Sakai reiterated the testimony of Mr. Moore with regard to the appropriateness of House Districts 17 and 18. He responded to questions from the commission.

03:03 PM -- Mr. John Morris, representing himself, expressed his opinions about communities of interest in House Districts 17 and 18, as well as Senate District 11. Mr. Morris made extensive suggestions about how to best configure these districts to accommodate certain communities of interest. Mr. Morris responded to questions from the commission about his preferences for amending Senate District 11. Discussion ensued regarding where to create a new Senate district, or fraction of a district, in El Paso County. Mr. Morris suggested that communities of interest should take precedence over certain other criteria in redistricting.

03:14 PM -- Ms. Jill Repella, representing a number of Douglas County government officials, provided comments about communities of interest in Douglas County. Ms. Repella expressed her opinion that the communities of Parker and Lone Tree should be unified and explained the basis for her opinion. Ms. Repella also discussed the importance of keeping communities whole within districts. Discussion ensued regarding how Parker and Lone Tree are currently positioned with regard to the House district map, and the 2010 populations of these two municipalities. Ms. Repella responded to questions regarding how Roxborough should be positioned in the redistricting process, and how best to split Douglas county into 2 Senate districts and 3.7 House districts.

03:26 PM

Ms. Repella continued to respond to questions about how to split Douglas County into the number of House districts to which it is entitled, and the potential for combining Douglas and Teller counties to create House districts since such a combination creates ideal district sizes mathematically. Discussion returned to the subject of keeping Parker and Lone Tree together in a House district, and how Highlands Ranch may be affected by such an arrangement. Discussion ensued regarding how the newly approved Sterling Ranch development will impact redistricting in Douglas County.

03:34 PM -- Ms. Nikki Hoy, representing herself, testified regarding district creation in Douglas County. Ms. Hoy supported Ms. Repella's comments except with regard to Castle Pines. Ms. Hoy supported keeping Castle Rock within one House district. Ms. Hoy discussed the differences among Douglas County's areas. Discussion ensued regarding how to redistrict Highlands Ranch.

03:41 PM -- Ms. Christy Le Lait, representing herself, read a letter authored by Dr. Mona Rane concerning neighborhoods in House District 18. Ms. Le Lait read a letter authored by Mr. David Bryan regarding how to redistrict the Colorado Springs area to best represent communities of interest and create bipartisan representation. Ms. Le Lait discussed the need to create competitive districts, and commented on earlier testimony concerning House districts 17 and 18. Discussion ensued regarding how to improve the voice of the Hispanic community in House District 17. Ms. Le Lait responded to questions about the competitiveness of House District 18, and the need to expand the district to meet certain redistricting requirements. Ms. Le Lait was asked to compare the relative importance of preserving communities of interest and political competitiveness. Ms. Le Lait responded to further questions about growth in the Hispanic community in Colorado Springs,and Hispanic representation in the General Assembly for Colorado Springs.

03:50 PM -- Ms. Sallie Clark, representing El Paso County as a county commissioner, testified regarding redistricting in Colorado Springs. Ms. Clark discussed the community of interest on the west side of the city, and the splitting of certain House districts by other districts. Ms. Clark discussed the differences between the east and west sides of Colorado Springs, and how the districts should be drawn to reflect these differences. Ms. Clark then discussed commonalities among specific neighborhoods, and addressed the issue of adding territory to House District 18. Ms. Clark responded to questions about the addition of a House seat to the Colorado Springs area based on population growth, and minority representation for Colorado Springs. Discussion ensued on this point. Ms. Clark responded to further questions about population growth in the Colorado Springs area, and particularly minority population growth.

04:03 PM

Ms. Clark responded to questions about where minority populations reside in the Colorado Springs area. Discussion returned to minority representation in Colorado Springs and El Paso County.

04:06 PM -- Ms. Micheale Duncan, representing El Paso County, discussed the redistricting process with respect to House districts 17 and 18 in Colorado Springs. Ms. Duncan discussed the importance of maintaining certain communities of interest within House District 18, and discussed the lifestyle in the district. Ms. Duncan responded to questions about how to expand the district to meet population requirements.

04:11 PM -- Ms. Kathleen Ricker, representing the El Paso County Democratic Party, discussed the importance of keeping House District 18 intact. Ms. Ricker discussed the communities of interest in the district, and which direction the district should expand. Ms. Ricker then discussed the splitting of Colorado College by Senate District 11, and minority representation in Colorado Springs, particularly with respect to House District 17. Ms. Ricker responded to questions about the Mountain Shadows neighborhood. Discussion ensued regarding the different communities of interests in House districts 17 and 18, and how best to divide these districts. Discussion returned to growing the Hispanic population in House District 17.

04:22 PM -- Ms. Polly Lawrence, representing Douglas County, testified on issues pertaining to redistricting in Douglas County. Ms. Lawrence discussed the differing communities contained in House District 44, and how best to divide the district.

04:28 PM

A number of written statements from members of the public were entered into the official record (Attachment L). Committee members received a letter from the Garfield County Board of County Commissioners about redistricting (Attachment M). The committee recessed.

04:33 PM

The commission returned from hearing public testimony on Region 4.


BILL:	Review of Proposed Plans for Region 3
TIME:	04:34:23 PM
MOVED:	Jones
MOTION:	Adopt H3004v2 (Attachment J), which is an amended version of H3004v1 (Attachment G). In the amended plan, the town of New Castle is included in House District 61. A substitute motion to adopt H3002v2, as amended, passed on a vote of 6-5.
SECONDED:	Salazar
		VOTE
	Atencio
	Berry
	Carroll
	Jones
	Loevy
	Nicolais
	Salazar
	Tool
	Witwer
	Webb
	Carrera

Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION:

04:34 PM

Discussion ensued regarding the splitting of communities along Highway 82. Commissioners Berry and Nicolais registered their objections to plan H3004v2. Commissioner Jones spoke in support of the plan in comparison to the other plans presented to the commission. Discussion ensued regarding the splitting of cities by H3004v2, as compared to H3002v2, and the communities of interest preserved by these plans. Commissioner Tool discussed the merits of plan H3002v2. Commissioner Nicolais read a portion of the Hobbs decision from the case of In re Redistricting of the General Assembly, 45 P.3d 1237 (Colo. 2002), pertaining to county splits, and discussed the splitting of Delta County by plan H3004v2. Commissioner Loevy registered his objections to the plan, and discussed district competitiveness in Colorado. Discussion ensued regarding the county splits in plans H3004v2 and H3002v2, the preservation of the Indian reservations in Southwestern Colorado in one district, and district competitiveness in Western Colorado. The commission also discussed the disposition of Grand County, and the impact of the Hobbs decision on rural Colorado. Discussion continued regarding the merits of map H3004v2, as compared to map H3002v2.

05:01 PM

Commissioner Berry spoke in support of H3001v1, making comparisons with plan H3004v2. Discussion ensued regarding the county splits created by the plan, and the competitiveness of House District 59 in the competing plans. Commissioner Nicolais discussed his population footprint plan for dividing the state into regions and the criterion of district competitiveness in the redistricting process. Discussion ensued regarding the adherence of plan H3001v1 to the Hobbs decision. The conversation returned to the importance of district competitiveness. Discussion followed regarding the population malapportionment resulting from removing Park and Fremont counties from H3001v1. Commissioner Berry discussed the difference between voter registration and political performance on the Western Slope.


BILL:	Review of Proposed Plans for Region 3
TIME:	05:09:40 PM
MOVED:	Berry
MOTION:	SUBSTITUTE MOTION: Adopt H3001v1 (Attachment C), amended to remove Park and Fremont counties. The motion failed on a vote of 2-9.
SECONDED:	Nicolais
		VOTE
	Atencio	No
	Berry	Yes
	Carroll	No
	Jones	No
	Loevy	Yes
	Nicolais	No
	Salazar	No
	Tool	No
	Witwer	No
	Webb	No
	Carrera	No
Not Final YES: 2 NO: 9 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: FAIL

05:10 PM

Commissioner Berry spoke in support of H3002v2. Commissioner Tool expressed his opinion that the amended plan would be superior to H3004v2. The commission discussed the relative merits of H3002v2 and H3004v2 with regard to competitiveness.


BILL:	Review of Proposed Plans for Region 3
TIME:	05:19:42 PM
MOVED:	Tool
MOTION:	SUBSTITUTE MOTION: Adopt House plan H3002v2 (Attachment E). The motion passed on a vote of 6-5.
SECONDED:	Witwer
		VOTE
	Atencio	No
	Berry	Yes
	Carroll	No
	Jones	No
	Loevy	Yes
	Nicolais	Yes
	Salazar	No
	Tool	Yes
	Witwer	Yes
	Webb	No
	Carrera	Yes

Final YES: 6 NO: 5 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

05:31 PM

Discussion continued about how to move forward with maps that have been approved, but still contain inconsistencies or problems. Commissioner Tool asked staff to look at including the town of New Castle in House District 61 and fixing the city split in Delta created by plan H3002v2.


BILL:	Review of Proposed Plans for Region 3
TIME:	05:32:08 PM
MOVED:	Witwer
MOTION:	Direct staff to draw a staff map for Region 4. The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Tool
		VOTE
	Atencio
	Berry
	Carroll
	Jones
	Loevy
	Nicolais
	Salazar
	Tool
	Witwer
	Webb
	Carrera

Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:	Review of Proposed Plans for Region 3
TIME:	05:33:37 PM
MOVED:	Jones
MOTION:	Add the 2010 Treasurer race to the list of races included in the political summary report. The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Carroll
		VOTE
	Atencio
	Berry
	Carroll
	Jones
	Loevy
	Nicolais
	Salazar
	Tool
	Witwer
	Webb
	Carrera

Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection

05:34 PM

The commission adjourned.