St. Mary's County, MD Redistricting Board for St. Mary's County, 29 Sep 2021

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From YouTube: 9/29/21 Redistricting Board for St. Mary's County

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uh We're gonna bring the redistricting meeting to order. uh I'm rich johnson, the chair.

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We do a roll call to my left, matt bergen, pat richardson, to my right, paul thompson.

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Lance johnson yeah, we have a quorum everybody's here, that's good! um We're gonna have to.

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Approve the agenda, I looked at space, yes discussing what we've been discussing here. Look.

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At matt's data and probably other maps that other people have been editing so do I hear a motion to.

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Approve the agenda, as stated, I move to approve the agenda as presented. Do I hear a second second.

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All those in favor say aye aye, all those opposed, say, nay eyes have it motion carries.

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All right, there's no meetings, there's no minutes tonight they haven't done them yet.

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I guess they're busy with county commissioner stuff so next wednesday, we'll probably have.

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Two sets of minutes to go over and approve, uh so let's want to go into your stuff right now,.

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Matt yeah, so I I owed everybody a tangible map to look at and um so first I just want to say thanks.

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To eric, you know real time identified, the the issue by 9 pm had a workaround and by 0-9 this.

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Morning had me fully up and running so I could get this to you guys so appreciate it. um So I had the.

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Ability to or yeah I had the opportunity to to fix my map to a previous rev that I had established.

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Again, the the my initial objective was to meet the tolerance that was laid out in front of us.

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Tried to try not to disrupt existing districts, as they already sit, was mindful.

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Of communities, legal subdivisions and try to use natural boundaries as a a way to dissect.

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The individual districts so based off our yesterday's meeting. The very first thing.

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I did was I cleaned up the the chestnut hills and chestnut ridge community that got pulled.

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Into two, with minimum impact to four so then I used 235 as a natural boundary, whereas two.

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Absorbed the wildwood community, so that was all all clean and with district two.

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uh In doing so, we spoke yesterday that uh wildwood is is dense, it's very populated. So then I had to.

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Compensate for that by extending four using 235 north as or 235 as a natural boundary and extended.

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Four up 235 north and then some small slight adjustments bringing three over from its previous.

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uh Its previous defined lines into two a little bit, but that was to meet the the objective and.

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We can see total population that is as close to zero as I could get it well within the defined.

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Parameters not only for total population, but it also meets the parameter objectives for over 18.

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As well as registered voters, so is this data all as this morning because I looked at it so.

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Did you change anything since then, or I haven't changed anything since since about 11 o'clock.

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So you'll also notice, while, while I was doing this, I wanted to maintain an equal distribution.

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Of polling places so there's uh there's a pretty.

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Yeah, okay, so there's a a as equal an allocation of voting places per district, as I could.

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Obtain whilst meeting the um the total population even distribution, the other thing I wanted to do.

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Was again in the in the in using natural boundaries and trying to keep it clean? I.

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Wanted to be both geographically and optically clean. You know um the only thing I thought.

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Ahead was: is we're going to be presenting this to to the community at some point.

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So I wanted it to be optically clean, but then objectively um we could speak to the objectives of.

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It by the the usage of natural boundary and then of course, starting with uh as even distribution,.

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Amongst the four districts, with respect to total population and yep, that's that's my draft.

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Mirror can you just go on like the one district one for this one? I just want to compare numbers.

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That looks good go to two three and four, so, okay, so they were from this morning. So whatever we did.

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Yesterday they were a wacky number because he was, I was going to chastise them because they.

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Were so horrible but now they're all good? That was that was because, that's probably you know.

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Eric was doing it real time, so this okay, the map that he pulled up, was not reflective of this. I'm.

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Just saying they're way off yeah they're like up to 27 28 in some areas. So with these numbers.

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Your population is anywhere from 0.49 to 1.98, so you hit it greater 18, 2.79 percent to 5.92 and.

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Reservator is 1.65 to 6.02, so you did you hit the area, um that's good. uh What else I'm gonna go over.

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So tonight what I want to hopefully get to is try to start focusing on what we're doing.

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We matt, I like what you did and so matt myself and lance went after.

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The dense areas- and you also were attacking- make it also boundaries which is good. We're.

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Trying to make everything clean, hopefully we make everybody happy, but you know we're trying.

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So I like what you did of course, I like what I did, but I'm like a I haven't, be like an overseer.

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I like what you did too and there's there's pro and con, so the other two pat and now paul you.

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Want to show anything that you've changed, because I just heard that you want to put your maps up.

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I mean I can probably speak to, I mean yeah. We might as well bring it up sure, see what you put.

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Up there, it's just minor differences. um I did the same thing with the chestnut hills, chestnut ridge.

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To try to rectify that um and I've actually pulled in a little bit of uh district three, and so then.

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Since we added more people to district two, I pulled more people from district two into district.

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Three: um just kind of picked a boundary and and pulled that whole whole section.

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In just to bring them a little bit more in balance, um so I think you know compared to.

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Mr bergens, it's sort of it's just a. I mean I'm on board, with everything he's doing other than.

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Just yeah just what howard handling the swamping between two and four, whether we're gonna change.

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Two a lot because I realize yeah once you dragon wildwoods a lot of people you got to take from.

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Somewhere right so can you look at the so that's total population looks pretty flat. Can you look at.

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The the other data that registered voters and the great okay that looks okay about risk or voters.

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Okay, four, okay! Well, four can have growth, that's sort of something that lance did too.

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Growth for four less so tonight, like I was just now pat, do you have any changes.

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On you make any changes. No, and you did say you like pulse stuff too. I did okay.

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So I now really like oh match, so that's sort of where I want to go tonight. Try to focus.

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Get closer to the target, so I like what matt did and lance you do also did a high population area.

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Too, which is good so with with what matt did similar to what I did we try to even it all.

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Out with the numbers, which is good at the time, but you know about growth and sort of what you.

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Pat did in district four, you had a little bit less and sort of what lance did in district four.

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So one of the things on matt's map is remember. In the very beginning we looked at the.

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Commissioner, districts and the numbers- and they don't seem to be ordered the way.

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You would expect- and we said that was probably historic right, but what he's been able to do is.

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Make four contiguous with three two and even one so for future.

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Planning, I think that that facilitates the ability uh to make moves. Okay,.

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Beyond what we did so the the the idea behind trying to get to absolute zero was it allows.

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Future growth and fluctuation and then still maintain the parameter in two years. If, if a new.

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Neighborhood has stood up and you know a couple hundred people move into it or you know maybe up.

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To five years and then hopefully make the the next board's job a little bit easier. Well, what also.

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That you and lance did you included chestnut hills and chestnut ridge too, so you both did that too.

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So what I'd like to do is concentrate on what lance did and what you did and hopefully we're.

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Going to figure out- because I saw I just got your data recently, so I want to look at your.

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Wildwood stuff, on the impact of all that so at least a decision tonight, I'd like to at least.

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Have your troop plans on the docket paul, I'm saying this is better than mine, so.

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It's okay, it's okay, but uh everyone's agreeable. Do I hear a motion to.

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At least concentrate on what lance did and what matt did uh the they both have.

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Pro and con you know so, do I hear a motion to at least concentrate on those two types of maps.

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Sure I'd like to uh make a motion to focus on lance and my map and uh try to.

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Either pick one or utilize the two to emerge into one final draft. Okay, do I hear a second a second.

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All those in favor say aye aye, all those opposed, say, nay, nay, one nay,.

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Okay, that's why we have a board, so the eyes have it so motion carries uh our next meeting.

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This may be a short meeting. Do we want to go? I mean you're gonna, be adding some more things. I.

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Think you were talking about so I came early and I I just tried to tweak it and I tried to use that.

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um That north sound gates road, but that that does not benefit. I mean that takes us in the.

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Stream, like I said, borders are good, but you know then you get the other stuff. That impacts.

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I'm I I'm, of course, if we go at your map, you have to explain everything to the people and we just.

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Watch you that's fine, I'm about as close to to balance as I as I think I can get it. Okay, so, like.

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I said you both did chestnut ridge and that's one of the things that eric mentioned when he looked.

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At all the data that that was a an issue- so did you I know paul was going to look at some other.

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Maybe areas that were maybe not I mean, I think it wasn't okay, I guess I should look. I could look at.

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It one more time all right. Well, that was a big one, because it was like you know across the street, was.

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One district another across the street with a different district. So that's good! um That's all.

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I have this, might it's gonna be a short meeting software glitch? We still use the other page.

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To bring it up yeah, you just have to pull up that link, use the exact same login credentials, log into.

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That and then you can okay open your map log into that, and your editing should work fine, okay, um so.

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um That's all I got we did. Oh, I got something. Okay come on forward, so yesterday hi everyone, neil.

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Murphy deputy county attorney yesterday, I think amy- would prefer, if I but we're clearly under the.

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Mic so yesterday you asked, I can't remember who exactly it was whether those residents who were.

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In a district that is, changed will be advised of the change uh right. That was to the board.

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Of election board of elections- but there wasn't anybody here, so uh I contacted them today and.

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So I spoke with the atkins over email and she said yes, they will be notified. uh She said any.

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District that has changed a new voter's id card will be mailed to all affected voters, notifying.

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Them of the change, so let's get a new voter id card, so minimal impact they just have to.

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Reset they just uh yeah, that's what it sounds like so, but they are, they will be notified. Okay,.

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How's that that's it thank you. Well, it's one of the questions we had so now. We have it answered.

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And again, if you have any more questions I'll be on our next meeting, the board of elections.

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um If anybody has any other questions, suggestions you're going to edit, are you doing any more.

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Editing on your map- or I was going to start over and just kind of continue playing around.

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A little bit but um okay, um so I motioned to do. I hear a motion to adjourn uh the meeting.

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Paul, do you have something? Well, I mean, if he's going to start over we're going to lose his map.

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No no well, the map is still there. Oh yeah, just reset yeah software, wise he's not like.

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Okay, he's got, you know: it's fixing the software. Oh, oh, okay, okay. I was just trying to come up with.

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Another version that maybe wasn't quite as you know as uh because I just I know that the more.

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Changes you make and everything it just it just brings more questions and more like everybody,.

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You know it's harder to come to a consensus, so right- and I guess that's leads into what I was.

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Going to say also in addition was just about my no vote was kind of like we felt like we're.

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Moving away pretty quickly from the minimal changes, we've gone to the two max changes maps.

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Just now like wow, it seemed pretty uh pretty quick, um I'm nothing against either map. In that sense,.

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It's just more, they both have a lot of changes. I probably have to watch. They all do and it's like.

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The data was delayed and now we're coming up to you know what, in two weeks, we have to do a vote.

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For what the final okay is going to be so we're going to have to.

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Figure this out- and I I want to second what paul has just said, because I think it might be a good.

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Idea for us before getting too far ahead to go back through the parameters that we had agreed to.

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In the beginning, one of them is trying to do the least amount of moves possible and, of course, the.

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Natural boundaries and there were others, but I I think I would feel more comfortable if we had.

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More information about the specific areas I can see the major areas.

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On the charts, but just to have a better idea of which specific areas we are looking at moving.

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I feel like I don't have a good handle on how many people were moving, who were moving at this point.

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So it's just a just a thought: okay, so I'd I'd definitely take that into consideration and try.

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To maintain that um one thing that I thought of and and I had to go back and sort of read.

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The synopsis of the last board and what and what things were taken into consideration, um then I I.

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I began to think just because there are these um these existing or current commissioner districts.

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If we have the opportunity to take a few more things into consideration and do a notable.

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Adjustment, but have it be something that maybe the next boards and you know future boards can.

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Can kind of stick to, um or maybe they take a couple things so I did want it to be set in.

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Stone because you know they could have adjusted it from the board before them, and you know the.

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Board before them, so I didn't want that to be um something that I just completely threw out.

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Of the window, and then I kind of circled back to the balance, which was the justification so agreed.

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We did deviate a little bit from what we had normally said of trying to maintain the current.

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Commissioner districts, but just because those are set, um they were just those were set by the.

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Board before us and the boards and we've taken things into consideration, that they didn't and.

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I think the next board will as well. So that's why I kind of loosened that or re-prioritized.

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That on my list and my with number one objective being balance- and I do appreci appreciate your.

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Use of the natural boundaries and that they're nice contiguous blocks, I think visually yeah.

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This you know if we didn't we're trying to minimize changes. This makes a lot of sense. The.

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Only real, but it was hang up. I have, I probably have to look at it. Some more it'll, probably.

C

Make more sense to me, but I'm just sort of just still feeling that out right. As far as what the.

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Impact really was this: just came across about noon today. Right takes more time to dive into it,.

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Any other discussions to go forward, lance paul yeah, I kind of like what matt did. I I didn't.

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Even think about taking four up um to kind of make it look more continuous. The only the thing.

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That bothered me the most was that, like three and two seemed to be very, you know looking at.

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It appeasingly very contiguous, but then you know four was just kind of throwing it. Like kind of you.

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Kind of kind of see it was thrown in like a hat on number one one, and so I kind of think that this.

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Even though it changes the map a little bit like drastically, but it almost kind of makes more.

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Sense because you're just really kind of taking forward and kind of moving it up. But yet keeping.

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The major neighborhoods that are in two that are you know you don't want to divide a neighborhood.

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And have you know so it does kind of make a lot of sense so and and for future growth. But.

C

Next time since they're, now all touching it's easier to do the trading in the future, which.

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That was sort of what's difficult about. Our starting point is correct. You have to start.

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Shifting everything around so that's also an appealing aspect of this type of map.

A

Any well any other questions, pat matt, if I could proffer something as well. um If you are concerned.

E

For any of these, iterations of the number of people affected, the number of people switching.

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Districts, I can easily provide those numbers to you if you would like for each of these iterations.

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And give us another chart, it would just be a small one for for each one of these uh and it would.

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Just say the total number of people that would be switching a district. I would appreciate that yeah.

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I think that'd be helpful as well. Okay, so looks like we all have our input and we're now we're.

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Going to concentrate on what we got uh do I hear a motion to adjourn the meeting. I move to adjourn.

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Do I hear a second a second, all, those in favor say aye aye any opposed eyes. Have it meeting's over.

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