7.4. SR 03-19-2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

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REQUEST FOR ACTION TO ITEM NUMBER Ma or and Ci Council 7.4 AGENDA SECTION MEETING DATE PREPARED BY Public Hearings March 19, 2012 Tina Allard, City Clerk ustin Femrite, Ci En ~ eer ITEM DESCRIPTION REVIEWED B)/ Options for Establishing New Ward Boundaries for City of Elk Cal Portner, Ci Administrator River REVIEWED BY ACTION REQUESTED 1. Mayor Dietz to open this item for public comment. 2. Council is asked to provide staff with direction on the selection of ward boundaries for redistricting. BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION Following the Census every 10 years local governments are required to redraw their election districts so representation among the districts remains as equal as possible. I~ardr A ward is an election district within the city from which members of the City Council are elected. Cities with wards must redistrict their wards after the federal census for the purposes of providing for equal representation among all the city wards. Elk River has four wards. Who is Affected by City Redistricting ^ Wards 1, 2, 3, and 4 ^ Sherburne County ^ School District #728 Sherburne County and school district staff have been notified and asked to provide any comment to the city's redistricting options. They are required to redistrict after the city completes its redistricting. Redistricting Requirements When redistricting, the following requirements must be met: ^ Wards must be compact and contiguous. ^ Ward boundaries must follow visible, clearly recognizable physical features such as roads, rivers, railways, shorelines, and ditches or any other line which is clearly visible from the ground. A street or other roadway which has been platted but not graded is not a visible, clearly recognizable physical feature. ^ Wards must be as equal in population as practicable. ^ Wards must be drawn on census block lines. rewE~~a ar N:\Departments\Administrative Services\Administration\Elections\Redistricting\2011\031912 CC Staff Report.docx ~'