Agenda Item 9AAGENDA ITEM # 9A
MAY 14, 2012
May 7, 2012
MEMORANDUM
TO: The Honorable Mayor
and Members of the C
FROM: Jim
SUBJECT: City Manaor's Report
Voting District Boundaries The City Commission discussed a staff report from Erika Hall on possible
amendments to voting district boundaries at the regular meeting of March 26, 2012. At that time, the Commission
postponed any action until after the strategic planning workshops. It is time for the Commission to provide direction
as to the next steps on this item.
The staff report presented in March included some changes to the voting districts to bring the number of registered
voters in each district more in line with the newest information available from the 2010 census. The Supervisor of
Elections had indicated a desire to have the voting precincts for Duval County match up with the Atlantic Beach
voting districts, so any voters who have their districts changed by your action will have to vote at a different location
in the future. To minimize disruption, it is better to move fewer people than more. However, discussion has taken
place in the commission meetings about putting the Donner and Jordan neighborhoods into the same voting district.
It becomes clear to anyone who has used the census block maps to quantify various proposals for district
amendments that the process does not lend itself well to a group effort. Instead, it would probably be much easier if
the Commission were to come to a consensus on some general guidelines for how the changes would be
accomplished and then let the staff come back with one or more specific alternatives to accomplish the
Commission's desire.
The purpose of this report is to request that the Commission provide direction as to the next steps for determining
voting district changes for Atlantic Beach.