Riviera's population districts are unbalanced - and it doesn't look like it will be fixed soon
The city's charter calls for the population to be split into districts as evenly as possible and for boundaries to be redrawn every decade. But Riviera Beach has not redrawn its district lines since 1979. Riviera Beach City Council members have postponed a decision on new district boundaries, leaving its council districts out of population balance for the foreseeable future. The city's charter requires the population split into districts evenly and boundaries to be redrawn every decade. However, Riviera Beach has not redrawn its district lines since 1979. Councilman Tradrick McCoy, along with at-large councilman Douglas Lawson, voted against the postponement. The process of redistricting, which involves updating district lines, is crucial for elected officials who may have to relocate or give up their seats due to the new boundaries. The council had voted on May 15 to advance a trio of maps that would redraw the district boundaries.
公開済み : 10ヶ月前 沿って Wayne Washington, Palm Beach Post の Travel
Riviera's population districts are unbalanced - and it doesn't look like it will be fixed soon
Riviera Beach City Council members postponed a decision on new district boundaries, leaving its council districts out of population balance for the foreseeable future.
The city's charter calls for the population to be split into districts as evenly as possible and for boundaries to be redrawn every decade. But Riviera Beach has not redrawn its district lines since 1979, leaving its districts "heavily out of balance" in the words of James Gammack-Clark, one of the consultants the city hired to help oversee its redistricting process.
"I don't know what we're doing to address this malapportionment that has been outstanding," said Councilman Tradrick McCoy, who, along with at-large councilman Douglas Lawson, voted against the postponement.
Reapportionment — the process of updating district lines known as redistricting — is, for people not interested in politics, typically dry and unexciting. But the process is important, particularly for elected officials who could face the prospect of having to move or give up their seat, depending on the new boundaries.
The topic is of such importance that McCoy filed suit against the city in March 2022, alleging that City Manager Jonathan Evans had failed to follow the city charter's requirement that redistricting occur every 10 years.
Riviera Beach council members must live in the district from which they filed to run for office, though voters throughout the city vote on their candidacy. They have to have lived in the district for a year before they can run. One district, District 5, is at-large and covers the entire city.
McCoy's District 1 has, by far, the largest population of the other four districts, based on U.S. Census Bureau figures, giving him the most residents to be responsive to and the biggest pool of possible opponents.
Council members had voted on May 15 to advance a trio of maps that would redraw the district boundaries. The city held public meetings to get resident input on the maps and was to pick one at its June 5 meeting.
Instead, the council voted 3-2 to postpone the selection of a new set of district boundaries.
The consultants drew up new district boundaries using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, which is used to determine local, state and federal districts across the country.
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Glen Spiritis, who represents Singer Island in District 4, argued in May and again on Wednesday that another calculation method needs to be used to account for the island's many part-time residents.
He noted that the island's residents pay a majority of the money collected in property taxes in Riviera Beach and that many were not in town for a population count.
All of the proposed maps would have District 4's boundaries shift west, putting the island's most affluent residents in the same district as some of the city's poorest residents.
Spiritis decried that prospect, noting that geographic cohesion and common interests should be guiding principles in redistricting.
"This is not a fair process," he said. "I don't understand what the rush is. I think we could wait a little bit longer and have more public input and maybe amend these maps."
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Wayne Washington is a journalist covering West Palm Beach, Riviera Beach and race relations for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at [email protected]. Help support our work; subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Riviera Beach postpones decision on new City Council district maps