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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPolicy 33 - Redistricting of Directors Division BoundariesOTAY WATER DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS POLICY Subject Policy Number Date Adopted Date Revised REDISTRICTING OF DIRECTORS DIVISION BOUNDARIES 33 04/05/00 Page 1 of 2 PURPOSE To ensure equal population distribution of the Directors’ Divisions boundaries by developing a policy that provides the opportunity for the Board to review this issue at least every three years. BACKGROUND In February of 2000, the Board revised the Director’s division boundaries. This was necessary because the District has experienced significant growth and will continue to do so into the foreseeable future. For example, over the last ten years, Otay’s installed meter base has grown more than 50% between 1990 and February 1, 2000. Currently Otay has approximately 36,536 separate accounts, which because of multi-meters (condos, apartments) includes 41,476 households. We have already received plans from developers that indicate that this growth will continue at a pace equal to or greater than the last ten years. In addition, the growth is not uniform but is more likely to occur only in those districts that have large new developments planned. Therefore, given that significant and unequal growth is anticipated, the Board wishes to define, via Board policy, when is the most prudent time to revisit the redistricting of Director’s boundaries. Consequently, the Board requested that staff recommend a policy advising the Board as to when and how the Board should revisit this important issue. To this end, staff reviewed population trends and sources of data available to the District concerning population growth. Staff also surveyed the four fastest growing counties in California (Placer, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Calaveras counties) as well as Padre Dam, Sweetwater, South Bay Irrigation District, San Diego County Water Authority, and Irvine Ranch Water District to determine if there was a common policy guiding redistricting procedures. Of these agencies, only Sweetwater had a specific policy for redistricting, and none of the agencies had specific criteria for when a review should occur, short of a general sense that review should occur whenever inequitable growth has occurred. To provide the Board with a reasonable policy for the timing and procedure for redistricting Director’s boundaries, staff recommends the following policy. POLICY The Board of Directors of Otay Water District will review, and change if necessary, the boundaries of its divisions every three years OTAY WATER DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS POLICY Subject Policy Number Date Adopted Date Revised REDISTRICTING OF DIRECTORS DIVISION BOUNDARIES 33 04/05/00 Page 2 of 2 beginning in April 2003. These changes must be completed 120 days before any general election. In addition, the Board may review and change the boundaries whenever the Board deems it advisable for the best interests of the District and the convenience of its voters, according to Water Code §71541. The objective of redistricting is to make the five (5) Divisions within the District as nearly equal in population as may be practicable. If the Board determines that because of population or area changes, the Divisions are no 1onger substantially equal, then the Board can change the boundaries. As population or area within the divisions shift, modification of the boundaries may be appropriate to maintain the basic “one person, one vote” standard applicable to public agencies. PROCEDURE The General Manager will present to the Board a report every three years describing how the residential population within each Division has changed over the previous three years. This information will be derived based upon the number, location, type and date of installation of the water meters. Staff will prepare a recommendation concerning how the boundaries might be most equitably adjusted. The Board will have the opportunity to review and change any of these recommendations.