Politics & Government

Bending Boundaries: Second Map is a Charm for Redistricting in St. Charles County

St. Charles County Council approved revised boundary map after second effort by Redistricting Commission.

An agreeable Redistricting Commission gave the St. Charles County Council the map changes its wanted most.

Commissioners submitted changed districts to the county council members, who voted 6-0 during a Tuesday meeting to approve the redistricting map.

The Redistricting Commission re-drew the boundary lines based on the 2010 Census, as mandated in the county charter.

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“We met the requirement that the boundaries are easily defined,” said Tom Kuypers, a Republican commission member. “All the boundaries are highways or major roads, creeks or rivers.”

Residents affected by the changes will find themselves voting different candidates in upcoming elections.

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Districts rearranged

The biggest changes came in the districts 5 and 6. When the council returned the map to the commission in August, Councilman Terry Hollander, R-District 5, had said he felt the changes in his district were too drastic, and could be mitigated with a little re-arranging.

“It was a big improvement,” Hollander said. “You’re never going to end up with anything you think is perfect. I understand my district had to change and grow.

District 5 was the only one to lose population in the 2010 Census.

Hollander wanted had asked the commission to return “the Truman wedge,” an area bounded by Ehlmann Road and Truman Boulevard, to his district. The area is near his home. Commission members obliged.

As a result, an area bounded by Zumbehl Road, Highway 94 and Interstate 70 was added to Democrat Councilman Jerry Daugherty’s District 6.

Democrat commission member Mark Miles said, “It’s like a puzzle. You add to one, you have to take away somewhere else.”

Districts shifted

Kuypers said Councilman John White, R-District 7, also saw his district move farther south as a result.

Council Chairman Joe Brazil, R-District 2, also got a requested change. The commission added the section of Foristell south of I-70 back into District 2. The first revised map placed the area in Councilman Joe Cronin’s District 1, which mostly is north of I-70.

“Cronin didn’t seem to mind the changes,” Miles said.

The commission had to arrange the districts so that the difference between the districts with the smallest and largest populations is no more than 5 percent.

Disctrict balancing act

District 1 has the lowest population with 50,302, while District 7 has the largest population at 51,893. That’s a difference of 3.1 percent. The original map the commission submitted had a 1 percent difference between the districts.

“We felt like the first map met our requirements better, but this is the one the council wanted,” Kuypers said.

Miles, who served on the 2000 Redistricting Commission, complimented the county’s GIS department, noting that technology staff members provided made the process much easier. As they made changes, they could tell at the punch of a button how it affected all districts, he said.

“In 2000, we were in there with pencil, paper and screaming,” he said.

The Redistricting Commission consists of three Democrats and three Republicans appointed by St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann.


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