Officials taking close look at plan to expand Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners from 11 to 12 seats
A plan to redraw district lines and expand the number of seats on the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners from 11 to 12 appears to be gaining support.
The Washtenaw County Apportionment Commission held off on deciding on a redistricting plan on Wednesday, but will meet again May 11 and is expected to vote then.
"We have two plans before us. There may be other plans provided. I think that the most likely outcome is we go with the 12-district plan or something very similar to it," said County Clerk Larry Kestenbaum, a Democrat who chairs the five-member apportionment commission.
A 12-district plan has garnered support from Kestenbaum and Mark Boonstra, chairman of the Washtenaw County Republican Committee and also a commission member.
Washtenaw County Prosecutor Brian Mackie has proposed a plan that would divide the county into nine districts, but a 12-district plan seems to be gaining more support.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
"I think there are some notions of making changes to it," Kestenbaum said. "But some of the concerns really can't be addressed without radically changing the plan."
Ann Arbor would keep its four seats on the county board under the plan, and a new district would be drawn for Scio Township, which has seen a 28 percent growth in its population in the last decade.
The districts would take effect for the 2012 August primary and November general election when all members of the county board would be up for re-election.
Kestenbaum said one current county commissioner — Barbara Levin Bergman, D-Ann Arbor — would be affected by the plan, but she doesn't intend to seek re-election next year.
An alternative nine-district plan has been proposed by County Prosecutor Brian Mackie, a Democrat, but it doesn't appear to have the support it needs. Mackie's plan would reduce the number of Ann Arbor districts from four to three and potentially put two current commissioners — Alicia Ping, R-Saline, and Wesley Prater, D-York Township — in the same district.
Still being discussed is the issue of "township islands" within the city of Ann Arbor — small pieces of Scio, Ann Arbor and Pittsfield townships that are surrounded by city territory.
Some members of the commission think the lines could be redrawn so larger contiguous portions of townships and their islands aren't divided into different districts, but others argue it doesn't seem reasonable to cut off chunks of the city to make that accommodation.
"I think that given the layout, this is inevitable," Kestenbaum said of having township islands. "In Scio's case, to put the part of the city of Ann Arbor that's west of Maple Road in with Scio Township would subsume that area of the city into a township district. So I think it's reasonable to essentially disregard the islands and let them be where they are."
Boonstra sees it differently.
"If you can combine the township islands with the precinct of which they are a part, then you'll eliminate a split precinct," he said. "So I want to look at those more closely before I vote."
Boonstra also said he wanted to look more closely at some of the recent revisions Kestenbaum made to the 12-district plan.
"I have some concerns about why we're joining part of the city with one township, why we're splitting York the way we are because we're splitting a precinct, and so I want to assess that further," he said.
McClary said she doesn't have a preference on the number of districts.
"We've looked at a nine plan and a 12 plan and I think we're looking at something in that range, and I think that'll work," she said. "The size that has been discussed has been eight, nine, 10 and 12, and I think all of them have some pros and cons, and we'll look at all of them."
Why not keep the board at 11 seats?
Larry Kestenbaum
Whether adding another commissioner would add cost to the county's budget doesn't seem to be a primary consideration. Commissioners currently are paid a base salary of $15,500 plus other perks, including per diems and travel allowances.
"The commissioners set their own budget and they set their own salaries," McClary said of the financial implications of increasing the number of districts. "So it would really depend on what the commissioners wanted to do. Right now their budget is just over $500,000."
Cleveland Chandler, chairman of the Washtenaw County Democratic Party and a member of the apportionment commission, said he likes the 12-district plan.
"I think it'll work because it maintains the minority representation," he said. "Also, the Washtenaw County Democratic Party had a resolution to not go below 11, but we could go higher, and I think the 12 works a lot better. Because especially with the population being larger, you need more people to take care of the people's needs."
Washtenaw County's population grew by about 22,000 in the latest census counts that put the total population at 344,791 residents. Township growth includes Scio (up 28 percent), Augusta (up 40 percent), Lima (up 33 percent), and Webster (up 30 percent).
Mackie said he's not terribly wedded to his nine-district plan. He agreed the 12-district plan is looking much better than when it originally was proposed.
"I like both plans in that they generally keep Scio Township intact, because Scio and Pittsfield to a lesser degree have always been targets — if you need to make a district larger or smaller, you mess with those," he said. "And I think the fact that they're now represented by four different commissioners in Scio Township, they deserve some relief from that."
Mackie said a nine-district plan, however, would minimize variation in population from district to district and keep cities and townships intact as much as possible.
Mackie also said he's heard from some people who've served on past and present county boards that a smaller number of commissioners works better.
"Basically the board is tasked with coming up with a budget, and I think the way that process should work is we should rely on professionals who work on it year-round, and have part-time commissioners who hire an administrator and then trust him or her to do their job," he said. "We are fortunate to have an extremely good administrator for the county."
Mackie acknowledged there could be a cost savings to having less commissioners, but if more proves to be the better plan, then cost should be a secondary consideration.
A look at the current 11-district map of Washtenaw County. A plan with bipartisan support would expand the number of seats on the county board to 12 with a new district in Scio Township.
A look at an earlier proposed 12-district map of Washtenaw County showing a new district added for Scio Township. A slightly revised version of this map was discussed Wednesday.
A look at a possible nine-district plan proposed by County Prosecutor Brian Mackie.
Comments
Larry Kestenbaum
Fri, May 6, 2011 : 5:59 a.m.
(13) "No 'interest' out there, eh Larry? That's because the whole process comes down to what is best for the incumbent commissioners and the Democrat party. If a person isn't one or the other why should they care? There ain't nothing they can do about it anyhow." Well, ten years ago, there was considerable interest, and a movement to shrink the size of the board. As a result, the number of districts was reduced from 15 to 11, and five incumbent commissioners (four Democrats, one Republican) were forced out. This year, there seems to be very little interest. When I ask people (even politically involved folks) whether the board should be larger, smaller, or the same, the most common response is a shrug. Yes, Democrats are the large majority in Washtenaw County. There is no possible way to design a set of county board districts that could elect a Republican majority. That being said, the county board is not very partisan. The three Republicans are active participants in decisionmaking. But don't take my word for it -- ask them yourself!
Larry Kestenbaum
Fri, May 6, 2011 : 5:42 a.m.
(11) "If done by population and there is no increase in the number of commissioners, Ann Arbor would either be reduced to 3 commissioners (Ann Arbor now makes up 1/3 of the population of the county - 1/3 * 11 < 4 commissioners) or they would be grouped in to districts including the surrounding townships. Of course, this might result in still having 4 commissioners if Ann Arbor were to hold a majority in 4 districts and disenfranchising voters in the surrounding townships." Ann Arbor has a very high voter turnout, and residents of the surrounding areas generally don't want to be subsumed into city districts. Moreover, the rules for districting call for us to avoid combining city and township areas to the extent possible. (12) "As usual, whatever is good for Ann Arbor is good for the county." All five members of the Apportionment Commission are selected by and responsive to the county as a whole (three by the countywide electorate, two by countywide political parties). I have seen no sign that the members are more responsive to Ann Arbor than to the rest of the county.
Larry Kestenbaum
Fri, May 6, 2011 : 5:37 a.m.
(9) "Too bad there isn't a law requiring representation based on population on proposed transportation boards." Any "proposal" can provide for any wild idea the sponsor can imagine. In the real world, there is a strong presumption that public bodies which spend public money will be organized in a fair and equitable way, such as by population. Moreover, any representation plan is subject to the 14th Amendment guarantee of equal protection of the laws. (10) "This, plain and simple, a plan to maintain the 4 districts which Ann Arbor has and not unseat any of their commissioners." The 12 district plan is a status quo plan which does not radically change any of the existing 11 districts. Across three public hearings and multiple opportunities for public comment, the large majority have called on the Commission to adopt a district plan similar to the existing one. Ten years ago, at the last redistricting, most of the many speakers called for the number of districts to be reduced. And, indeed, the number was reduced, from 15 to 11. The lack of any big turnout of people demanding a change to the districts may indicate that most people are satisfied with the current scheme.
Huron74
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 8:01 p.m.
No "interest" out there, eh Larry? That's because the whole process comes down to what is best for the incumbent commissioners and the Democrat party. If a person isn't one or the other why should they care? There ain't nothing they can do about it anyhow.
Larry Kestenbaum
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 5:12 p.m.
(8) "If I read the maps correctly Pittsfield will be split. This is wrong wrong wrong. Pittsfield should have one unified voice when it comes to dealing with the county." Since 2002 (see the top, pastel map above), almost all of Pittsfield has been in the 7th district. It happened that the township was right around one-eleventh of the county's population, so it became one of eleven districts. Under the version of the 12-district plan that was presented at the last meeting (that map does not yet appear in this article), the new 7th district is entirely within Pittsfield, but it does not include the entire township; it leaves out the heavily populated northeast and northwest corners. The proposed district boundaries were changed in part because there was objection to the 7th District extending into Ypsilanti Township. Note that Scio Township is split into a number of different districts, each dominated by other areas. Due to concern over that situation, every plan presented so far has kept Scio Township (minus some islands in Ann Arbor) in one piece. More comments later, when I have time. Please consider attending the next Apportionment Commission meeting, on Wednesday May 11, at 5:00 pm, in the lower level meeting room in 200 N. Main, Ann Arbor (corner of North Main and East Ann).
BroncoJoe
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 5:09 p.m.
Too bad there isn't a law requiring representation based on population on proposed transportation boards. This, plain and simple, a plan to maintain the 4 districts which Ann Arbor has and not unseat any of their commissioners. If done by population and there is no increase in the number of commissioners, Ann Arbor would either be reduced to 3 commissioners (Ann Arbor now makes up 1/3 of the population of the county - 1/3 * 11 < 4 commissioners) or they would be grouped in to districts including the surrounding townships. Of course, this might result in still having 4 commissioners if Ann Arbor were to hold a majority in 4 districts and disenfranchising voters in the surrounding townships. As usual, whatever is good for Ann Arbor is good for the county.
Larry Kestenbaum
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 4:54 p.m.
(4) Cost considerations. The annual salary of each commissioner is currently $15,500; that means 11 commissioners total $170,500 per year. Anticipating the possibility of an increase to 12 commissioners, there is a move afoot to reduce the salary to $14,200, so that the total will be no larger than it is now. That decision is up to the Board of Commissioners itself, and would need to be made by the current board. In any case, the county government spends about $100 million per year. The salary of one commissioner is about one hundredth of 1% of that amount. (5) "If we don't get a county executive, we are doomed." The idea of an elected county executive for Washtenaw County has been debated for years. Me, I'm in favor of it. But to bring it about would require a vote of the people. In recent years, the Washtenaw County electorate has been skeptical of proposals concerning county government. (6) "Washtenaw County Board continues to nip at each other's heels...rural v city, poor v wealthy, Repub v Dem, everyone v Ann Arbor." Our county board used to be notorious throughout the state for vicious infighting. As former board chair Mary Egnor said at the time, "We all have a lot of blood on our shirts." But in recent years, the board has been nothing like that. There are tensions, sure, but nothing out of the ordinary for any local legislative body. (7) "Talking with business peoople in Oakland County they view Ann Arbor area in general as on the decline. " I'm very surprised to hear that. The economy is in better shape in Ann Arbor than it is in any other region of the state.
dotdash
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 4:44 p.m.
Can you provide a more detailed comparison of the current and the proposed plans? There are changes made to the way AA is divided up, but I can't see on the tiny maps. Why does the Democratic party have a resolution calling for at least 11? (Serious question) I'd like to understand the politics at play here.
Dilbert
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 5:49 p.m.
The resolution, in part, argues that minority representation decreased with the previous Commissioner reduction from 15 to 11.
Larry Kestenbaum
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 4:35 p.m.
Some responses to the above comments: (1) "Does anyone care?" We have been distressed by the lack of interest in this process from the public. During the last redistricting, ten years ago, the meetings attracted large audiences. A public hearing at the Ypsilanti Township Hall auditorium had a packed house. This year, the public hearing in that same room only had a handful of people show up. This may reflect the damage that was done to the public life of this community when our daily newspaper was shut down. (2) "Maybe a story about what they do..." The County Board of Commissioners is the legislative body at the county level, with mainly budgetary powers. The board has the power to levy taxes and allocate funds to the various county functions, including the sheriff, the jail, the courts, the prosecutor and public defender, the county clerk and register of deeds (birth and death registration, marriage licenses, business names, election administration, land records), the county treasurer, equalization (oversight of local tax assessors), public health (including restaurant inspections), Head Start, mental health, and a lot of other things. (3) "...why they should consider redistricting..." Under state law, the districts must be redrawn every 10 years based on the new census data. Population data is critical because all the districts must have about the same number of people. The Apportionment Commission also determines the number of districts, which can range from a minimum of 5 to a maximum of 21. Each district elects one commissioner, on the partisan ballot, in November of even numbered years.
a2huron
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 3:21 p.m.
Adding costs at a time like this is unwarranted and flies in the face of any concerns they have about austerity and getting a budget in order. Adding a 12th will surely add to these costs. Either stay at 11 or move to 9.
Ignatz
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 1:02 p.m.
Why are we talking about expanding government in a time of financial worries? Why was the nine commissioner plan rejected? At least that would cut the size a bit.
Huron74
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 12:45 p.m.
How about we reduce the number to five? No ties if there's a quorum and few officer holders to feed and care for or get in trouble.
DB Holden
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 11:49 a.m.
If I read the maps correctly Pittsfield will be split. This is wrong wrong wrong. Pittsfield should have one unified voice when it comes to dealing with the county. Pittsfield is self reliant and this appears to be an Ann Arbor power play to dilute Pittsfield.
Basic Bob
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 3:49 p.m.
"Pittsfield should have one unified voice" Yeah, that's working real well if you live in Upper Saline.
Cash
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 11:03 a.m.
If we don't get a county executive, we are doomed. Note how Oakland County has prospered and is continuing to do so....pulling together? Now Macomb has followed suit. They have leaders pulling for their county as a whole. Washtenaw County Board continues to nip at each other's heels...rural v city, poor v wealthy, Repub v Dem, everyone v Ann Arbor. We will never achieve anything until we pull together. I think this county has many assets...major universities, beautiful rural areas, auto tech centers, etc.... and a lot of really nice people (us included of course) Talking with business peoople in Oakland County they view Ann Arbor area in general as on the decline. Perception is important. Why do we keep internal bickering? It seems we need a leader to pull us together. That's my 2 cents anyhow.
A2comments
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 10:41 a.m.
Does anyone care? Maybe a story about what they do and why they should consider redistricting might help.