Orange County NC Website
15 <br /> 1 The 2010 Census total County population was 133,801. The 2016 ACS 5-Year estimate for the <br /> 2 entire County is 139,807. <br /> 3 <br /> 4 4) Can staff investigate and provide potential scenario maps eliminating at large <br /> 5 Commissioner seats and detailing two Commissioner districts with multiple <br /> 6 Commissioners representing each district?—{Page 4 of abstract. ) <br /> 7 <br /> 8 At the March 28, 2017 work session, the Board discussed, in theory, the elimination of at large <br /> 9 seats. A scenario of seven districts with one Commissioner representing each district was <br /> 10 discussed. However, based on Board discussion, staff understood that seven-district framework <br /> 11 was removed from consideration due to the "pie-shaped" districts that would emanate from the <br /> 12 Chapel Hill Carrboro area due to the population concentration in that area. <br /> 13 <br /> 14 The Board also discussed establishing two Commissioner districts with multiple Commissioners <br /> 15 representing each district. The possibility of a district consisting of five seats and a district of <br /> 16 two seats was discussed. Staff understood however following Board discussion that this <br /> 17 concept was also set aside and that the Board requested that staff develop information and <br /> 18 mapping for two districts - one consisting of four seats and the other district consisting of three <br /> 19 seats. <br /> 20 <br /> 21 Staff has provided two possible "4-3" scenarios for the Board's initial review— Possibility 1 and <br /> 22 Possibility 2 (See Attachments E and F). There are other possible variations that could be <br /> 23 developed and considered based on Board input. These two scenarios were chosen by staff as <br /> 24 starting points as both entail limited variance from the current Commissioner district lines, and <br /> 25 also limited variance from the Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools and Orange County Schools <br /> 26 district boundaries which were used to guide delineation of the original Commissioner district <br /> 27 lines established in 2006. <br /> 28 <br /> 29 Possibility 1 re-assigns a total of 6,143 voters from the current District 1 to District 2. Possibility <br /> 30 2 relocates 3,684 voters from the current District 1 to District 2. Attachment G provides inset <br /> 31 maps for the areas included in the population shifts from District 1 to District 2. <br /> 32 <br /> 33 Implementation of Possibility 1, Possibility 2 or any other similar election method that a) <br /> 34 decreases or increases the number of at large seats, and/or b) changes the number of seats <br /> 35 from a district, and/or c) changes the boundaries for the Commissioner electoral districts would <br /> 36 require Board action and a countywide voter referendum. Potential changes such as these <br /> 37 would necessitate Board approval of a resolution detailing the changes and authorizing a <br /> 38 countywide voter referendum on the proposed changes. If the voters subsequently approved <br /> 39 the proposed changes, the Board of Commissioners could then consider a resolution <br /> 40 implementing the changes. If voters did not approve the change, no further action on the matter <br /> 41 would occur. Potential changes of this nature would not require review or approval by the North <br /> 42 Carolina General Assembly. <br /> 43 <br /> 44 5) Can staff provide additional information on cumulative voting and non-partisan <br /> 45 voting and the potential to consider them as options for Board of Commissioners <br /> 46 seats? Attachment H <br /> 47 <br /> 48 At the March 28th work session, Board members discussed cumulative voting and non-partisan <br /> 49 voting. County Attorney John Roberts noted that an electoral plan that relied upon cumulative <br /> 50 voting would require approval by the North Carolina General Assembly. Several Board <br />