Ward Redistricting

Do you know where your ward boundary is? I suspect not. It isn't something that you pay attention to. You know your ward, and you know who your Councilor is, and you know where to vote. That is the important tri-fecta, but where the ward boundary is? Why would you need to know that?

I can think of a few reasons, but that said, I understand and don't think many people, other than those running for Council, worry about the size of their ward. Now comes that time when we all find out where the boundaries are. After every decennial census we are mandated by law and statutes to review and adjust ward, and for that matter state and federal districts are reviewed and adjusted as well. The goal is to get as close to one person one vote representation.

The one vote one resident concept is a hall mark of representative governing. On the local level we have to adjust the ward boundaries to ensure that each one is within 1 percent population of each other ward. This works out to a swing of less than 300 resident difference in each ward.

There are six wards in the City, and this won't be affected by the changes that will be proposed. The wards are intended to be bounded by natural boundaries (rivers etc) and definitive physical barriers (roadways, and the railroad). Currently the ward populations range from approximately 4500 residents in wards 1 and 2 to over 5500 residents in wards 5 and 6.

In my mind, wards 5 and 6 will be viewed as donor wards, shifting population to wards 1 and 2. This will ensure that the residents of wards 5 and 6 receive the representation they are intended to, closer to 1 to 1, than the current set up.

It makes sense that wards 5 and 6 have the highest population, as they have had the largest land areas developed in the past ten years. If you look at the census data is correlates accurately to the development trends we've witnessed in Dover and also with the amount of available developable land.

I started with the City June 1, 1997. Fourteen (14) years tomorrow, which is astonishing to me, in many ways. I know I have thiner in hair, and a thicker middle, but what I find funny is that I am at that point of scratching my head about projects and the way we've done them before. According to the minutes from the meetings in the summer of 2001, I was involved with the last ward adjustments.

I recall basics about that effort. I recall coming up with the population numbers and running the calculations to see what the 1 percent number for populations should be. I recall discussing how not to split neighborhoods up, but mostly I recall learning the lesson that you need to avoid politics from the process and get back to the core natural and physical boundaries, and one vote one person.

On May 25th, the Mayor appointed a committee for this year's redistricting, and I am the only one who was involved 10 years ago. That makes me feel old. I was in a different role at that time, and as with most experiences, this will be a much different project and have different outcomes; how can it not with different players involved, and a different climate involved.

I am looking forward to the process, and project. I like puzzles and like the idea of systematically working through the project to ensure that we are all fairly represented. I find it ironic that my ward, 5, will be one where population needs to be shifted the most. Not quite sure how things will work out, but none the less it will work itself out.

I am looking forward to the outcome and will use the blog as a way to update us all on progress, and when we present the group's recommendation to the City Council in a month, we can sit back and enjoy the next step of working to get a charter amendment before the public discussing changes that need to take place, and I'll go over that step then.

Until then, enjoy the heat and I hope you can relax and enjoy the coming summer.

The Census Revealed

Last year, I encouraged residents of Dover to reply to census forms that were distributed (http://dovernhplanning.blogspot.com/2010/03/census-smensus.html). The middle of last week, the New Hampshire population figures were revealed. In total the State of NH was up 6.5% for a total of just of 1.3 million residents.

Locally, Dover has reached just under 30,000 residents (29,987). For rounding purposes, I'm going to feel justified saying we are at 30,000 residents. I am sure between last April and this April we'll have 13 new residents :). This is an 11.5 percent increase over 2000 (26,884). When reviewing the Office of Energy and Planning's estimates for population, our numbers are over 1000 residents higher. In 2007 we hired a company, DemographicsNow, to review and extrapolate population and other demographics. At that time, they determined we had 29,402 residents. That number now seems very solid.

If you live in Dover, you now live in the fifth most populous community in NH. We lept from 7th to 5th (incidentally, we scrambled over Rochester and Salem). Stafford County was the fastest growing county at 9.7 percent. To give some perspective, Dover is the only community in the top 10 to have double digit percentage population growth, and gained 3100 residents, highest numerical increase in the state, by a community. Windham, which is in Rockingham County, grew 27 percent to 13,000+ residents. It was the community with the largest percentage growth in the state, and gained 300 less people than Dover. To put Dover's growth in perspective, Cheshire and Sullivan Counties gained 100 people more than Dover each.

Those numbers are staggering. They are also evidence of what we who work for the City, and what residents of the City know. Dover is the place to be. We have a great quality of life, we have great geography, and truly have opportunities all around us to keep the onward and upward momentum at our backs.

So what's next? Well, the easy answer is to move forward. But how? I think that's a discussion we need to keep having. The Planning Department is happy to start that discussion and I think soon, you will see us put feelers out there. This data is perfect for us to start the next iteration of the Land Use section of the Mast Plan. This chapter will help the community define what we want to look like at 10 years, what we want to feel like in 20 years, and what we want to look like when we reach 35,000?

Stay tuned, because I have some ideas, and I hope you do as well. We can only continue to prosper if we work together to make Dover the community we all want to enjoy.

Census Smensus

This past Monday I received my copy of the decennial US Census. The Census is used for many purposes, most notably are two: reviewing and allocating seats for the US House of Representatives, and determining certain levels of Federal funding. Both of these items are important.

What amazed me was how simple the form was to fill out. It took me all of 5 minutes to go down through the list of questions about myself, my wife and son. As I was filling it out, as I am pre-disposed to do, I had my 11 year old son with me. I like to include him on civic things so that he doesn't take for granted or view civic tasks as a burden. He goes to vote with my wife or I, goes to City Council inauguration and is included in Clean Up day Activities (April 24th is approaching....).

While we filled out the census, he was asking questions, as an 11 year old will. He wanted to know why it was important to fill out. I was explaining the proportionality of the results, and the usefulness of it, and making him understand why these 10 questions are worth the 10 minutes.

In many ways it ties into the community based planning we strive for in Dover. The census is the ultimate participatory government. You really count (or are counted). By not taking the time to be part of the census not only do you cost money (the Census bureau has to come to all addresses which do not respond, and that costs money and time), but you lessen the City of Dover's ability to receive Federal dollars.

In Dover we receive many the benefits from many Federal programs. Most notably for Planning is the Community Development Block Grant program. This program, originated in the 1970s within the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, is intended to put money into communities for assistance with low to moderate incomes. The program funds are used to make improvements to housing and employment opportunities for those residents.

I guess what I am getting at here is when the envelope arrives, please spend the 10 minutes to make our community better. The return postage is paid and the questions are simple and non-invasive (name, rank, serial number). By counting you help Dover, and you make probably the easiest participatory move in government today.

For more information on the census, check out www.census.gov, search for it on Facebook and Twitter, or write me, and I'll be happy to help out.