Body
Department of Community Development
Reference: Ward Boundary Map Update
To: Mayor Richard N. McLean and Members of City Council
Through: Manuel Esquibel, City Manager
Prepared By: Joshua Ryan, GIS Technician
Date Prepared: January 3, 2016
PURPOSE
To amend the ward boundaries to reflect an increase in the population of the City of Brighton between July 2011 (previous ward boundaries update) and December 2017.
BACKGROUND
Attached for your consideration are options for amending the ward boundary map. The maps have been prepared as per the City Charter and Colorado Constitution requirements. The last time the ward boundaries were revised was in 2015; however, the revision was based only on the inclusion of newly annexed areas and did not redistrict wards based on population change. The last time the boundaries were adjusted based on population was July 2011. At that time the boundaries were shifted to balance the population with approximately 8,445 residents in each ward. The total population at that time was estimated at 33,782.
We have had considerable growth, primarily in Ward I since that time. The city’s current total estimated population is 36,525. Note: this number reflects the number of C.O.’s (certificates of occupancy) issued for housing units since the census was completed in 2010. Therefore, the current estimated population of each existing ward is as follows:
Ward 1: 11,680
Ward 2: 8,226
Ward 3: 8,297
Ward 4: 8,322
The Brighton City Charter requires the division of the City into wards be consistent with the relevant provisions of the Colorado Constitution. Section 46 of Article V of the Constitution of Colorado requires that each ward have “…a population as nearly equal as may be.”
ADAMS COUNTY SHERIFF’S DETENTION FACILITY
Before discussions of Ward map options start, staff would like to seek direction from Council regarding the inmate population at the Adams County Sheriff’s Detention Facility. Historically, the inmates have been counted and added to the total population of Brighton. Staff raises this issue to verify with the current Council if the inmates should be counted and added to the total population, or should the inmates not be counted since permanent residency does not occur at the detention facility. Staff researched this issue and with comments from the City Attorney, determined that there is no legal or written requirement directing us to include or exclude the inmate population when districting wards.
As previously noted, the inmates have been historically counted towards the total population of Brighton and therefore have been included in the population of Ward I. The benefit of keeping the inmates in the total population is that this option matches what has been decided in past Ward Boundary updates and will be consistent with past Ward Boundary updates. However, because the inmate population is large (approximately 1,500 persons), when that population is moved from one Ward to another, it requires large boundary changes to balance the population of the remaining Wards. Some of these boundary changes may require neighborhoods to ‘flip-flop’ between wards over a period of Ward Boundary updates to account for the approximately 1,500 inmates. As the population of the city increases the neighborhood ‘flip flopping’ between wards will decrease and the neighborhoods will become more permanently established in a ward district.
WARD MAP OPTIONS
Staff used 2010 Census population data, and building permits pulled from April 2010 to August 2016, to determine the estimated 2016 population as of September 1, 2016. Subsequently, staff has forecasted the population growth through December 2017 using knowledge of future projects and residential lot availability, which were timetabled using historic growth rates and the Be Brighton Comprehensive Plan market study. Based on these calculations, an ideal population to balance each ward would be 9,682. The population increase and total population from 2011 (using population from April 2010 Census) ward boundaries update to December 2017 per ward is as follows:
Population Increase Total Estimated Population in December 2017
Ward 1: 2,264 Ward 1: 12,096
Ward 2: 766 Ward 2: 8,518
Ward 3: 772 Ward 3: 8,914
Ward 4: 1,142 Ward 4: 9,199
Population Growth: April 2010 - August 2016
Growth has occurred in all Wards from April 2010 - August 2016 but Ward 1 and Ward 4 have and had the largest increase of the four Wards with Ward 1 having substantial population increase. Wards 2 and 3 have had the smallest growth during the same time period.
Population Growth: September 2016 - December 2017
Reviewing information of future projects and residential lot availability, which were timetabled using historic growth rates and the Be Brighton Comprehensive Plan market study, staff has forecasted the population growth for each Ward. Ward 4 and Ward 3 will see the largest population growth.
As the population of Brighton increases the Ward boundaries will have to be adjusted to balance the population in the Wards. It is important for staff and council to adjust the boundaries to match future ward boundaries to reduce ‘flip-flopping’ of neighborhoods and census blocks between Wards. In the future:
• Ward 1 will become smaller geographically due to large projected population increase
• Ward 2 will become much larger geographically due to the small projected population increase
• Ward 3 will become smaller geographically due to large projected population increase
• Ward 4 will stay the same geographically but shape and boundaries will change due to large projected population increase
Staff will present three ward boundary change options (Options A, B and C) for review by Council. Each ward boundary change option has pros and cons listed to aid in the decision making process. Staff recommends reviewing the existing Ward Map side-by-side with each option to clearly delineate the proposed boundary changes.
Ward District Boundary Change: Option A - (Please refer to Attachment A)
Option A has four boundary change areas (note: two changes are noted within one circle on Attachment A):
- Population will move from Ward 1 to Ward 2
- Population will move from Ward 1 to Ward 4
- Population will move from Ward 4 to Ward 2
- Population will move from Ward 4 to Ward 3
The pros of this boundary shift are:
- Good transition to future ward boundaries
- Minimizes boundary line ‘flip-flopping’ in the future
- Inmate population stays in Ward 1, which reduces the need for large population
off-sets in other wards
The cons of this boundary shift are:
- Will require future boundary line ‘flip-flopping’ to offset inmate
population when moved into Ward 2 (in the future)
- Splits some neighborhoods into different wards
Option A Ward populations:
- Ward 1: 9,664
- Ward 2: 9,765
- Ward 3: 9,509
- Ward 4: 9,788
Difference in population from largest (Ward 2) to smallest (Ward 4): 2.8%
Ward District Boundary Change: Option B - (Please refer to Attachment B)
Option B has three boundary change areas:
- Population will move from Ward 1 to Ward 2
- Population will move from Ward 1 to Ward 4
- Population will move from Ward 4 to Ward 3
The pros of this boundary shift are:
- Minimal change to current Ward boundaries
- Good transition to future Ward boundaries
- Minimizes boundary line ‘flip-flopping’ in the future
The cons of this boundary shift are:
- Will require future boundary line ‘flip-flopping’ to offset inmate
population
- Splits some neighborhoods into different wards
Option B Ward populations:
- Ward 1: 9,647
- Ward 2: 9,811
- Ward 3: 9,451
- Ward 4: 9,817
Difference in population from largest (Ward 4) to smallest (Ward 3): 3.7%
Ward District Boundary Change: Option C - (Please refer to Attachment C)
Option C has five boundary change areas (note: two changes are noted within one circle on Attachment A):
- Population will move from Ward 1 to Ward 2
- Population will move from Ward 1 to Ward 4
- Population will move from Ward 2 to Ward 4
- Population will move from Ward 4 to Ward 3
- Population will move from Ward 4 to Ward 1
The pros of this boundary shift are:
- Good transition to future ward boundaries
The cons of this boundary shift are:
- Majority of Boundary shifts will be ‘flip-flopped’ with future Ward Boundary
changes
- Will require future boundary line ‘flip-flopping’ to offset inmate population
- Splits some neighborhoods into different wards
Option C Ward populations:
- Ward 1: 9,840
- Ward 2: 9,589
- Ward 3: 9,788
- Ward 4: 9,509
Difference in population from largest (Ward 1) to smallest (Ward 4): 3.3%
WARD BOUNDARY UPDATES
According to the Brighton Charter Section 4a of Article III: “The boundaries of the wards established pursuant to this section shall not be changed more often than once in six (6) years, unless change is necessary to conform to constitutional apportionment requirements. Territory added to the City shall become a part of such ward or wards as may be determined by ordinance, but this shall not prevent apportionment to conform to constitutional requirements.”
We have currently scheduled this ward boundaries update to be reviewed and ratified by the city council at the beginning of 2017 (which is within the six years of the previous ward boundary update). While analyzing and reviewing current and future population growth and trends, staff recommends another population based Ward Boundary update in 2021. According to the charter, staff can update the ward boundaries within the six year timeframe only if the boundary population differs more than five percent from another. Therefore, staff feels it will be necessary to complete another ward boundaries update in 2021 due to future population growth and receiving accurate population data from the 2020 Census in 2021. Staff will also review the Ward Boundaries and Ward populations once a year to ensure the population difference between the largest and small ward are not greater than the five percent.
CITY COUNCIL DIRECTION REQUIRED
Staff is requesting direction on the following item(s):
1) Should staff continue to use the same methodology as used in past Ward Boundary maps i.e., including the detention facility inmate population in the total population?
2) If the answer to the above question is “yes”, which of the Options A, B or C should staff move forward with? Note: if the answer is “no”, staff will have to create new Options and bring them back to council for review and consideration.
ATTACHMENTS
• Ward Map Option A
• Ward Map Option B
• Ward Map Option C
• 2011 Ward Map