King County to Take Comments on Redistricting Plan

The King County Districting Committee on Monday voted 5-0 to release a single King County Council redistricting plan for public review and comment. The plan is now online at www.kingcounty.gov/districting.

Bellevue currently is split in two districts: 6, represented by King County Councilwoman Jane Hague, and 9, represented by King County Councilman Reagan Dunn.

The proposal continues to split Bellevue into the two districts, but the proposed boundaries of District 6 includes more of Bellevue, with the new boundary stretching further to the east to Issaquah. So, some Bellevue residents currently represented in District 9 would be moved to District 6, if the proposal passes.

District 6's north end also has been redrawn in the proposal, with the inclusion of Woodinville, more of the western edge of Redmond and Kirkland newly split between two districts.

The committee will hold a public hearing on the plan, Monday, Oct. 3 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the King County Courthouse's Council Chambers, 10th Floor, 516 Third Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104.

The public may also provide online testimony through October 3. The public hearing is the last phase of public review prior to final action by the Committee.

“This redistricting plan was carefully drafted to balance population, meet legal requirements, and incorporate the public input we received,” said Committee Chair Terrence Carroll. “I greatly appreciate the committee members’ hard work and their willingness to come together to find solutions that serve the people of King County.”

The Districting Committee’s public process included seven public hearings in Bellevue, Des Moines, Kent, Kirkland, Seattle, and Shoreline. The Committee released four draft redistricting proposals in June that explored different approaches to meeting redistricting requirements.

“Public testimony raised new ideas and helped us better understand communities of interest,” said Chair Carroll. “Public input helped members come together around common principles and reach unanimous agreement on a proposed plan three months ahead of schedule."

By law, council district boundaries must be redrawn after each U.S. Census to make each district as nearly equal in population as possible. The target population for each 2011 Council district is 214,583. All districts in the proposed plan are within one-quarter of one percent of the target.  

Under the law, the new district boundaries must be compact, contiguous, and composed of economic and geographic units. To the extent feasible, the districts must correspond with the boundaries of existing municipalities, election precincts, census tracts, recognized natural boundaries, and preserve communities of related and mutual interest. Population data may not be used for purposes of favoring or disfavoring any racial group or political party. A final plan must be approved by Jan. 15, 2012.

The County Charter places sole responsibility for redistricting with the independent, citizen Districting Committee. Four members were appointed by the King County Council in January: Rod Dembowski, John Jensen, Sally Nelson, and Sally Poliak. The four members chose mediator, law professor, and retired Superior Court Judge Terrence Carroll to serve as Chair. The contracted Districting Master (GIS expert) is John Schlosser of Schlosser Geographic Systems, Inc.

Proposed 2011 King County Council Districts:

Map - Medium-resolution JPG (0.6MB) Table - Plan Profile (0.1MB) Map - Google Maps overlay  (help) Map - High-resolution Vector PDF (4.7MB) Data - Census block assignment data (0.2MB)

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