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Bigelow presents two redistricting options in YLP

By Jarrod Lyman / Community Correspondent

(Updated: Friday, August 12, 2011, 11:42 AM)

Madera County Supervisor Frank Bigelow and planning department staff presented a pair of options for redrawing the county's districts at a meeting at the Yosemite Lakes Park Clubhouse Monday.

The new lines will be drawn as a result of information gleaned from last year's census. According to the data, Madera County attracted about 27,000 new residents between 2000 and 2010. The board opted to remove the prison population in District 2 from the count, bringing the total population to 143,549. The planning department's goal was to have each district within three to five percent of 28,710 residents.

To achieve ideal population counts in each district, staff worked to add 997 residents to District 1, 626 people to District 2, remove 2,445 people from District 3, 5,557 people from District 4 and add 6,830 people to District 5.

However, each district must take more in to account than population. "We must adjust the districts so they are nearly equal, but also take in to account topography, geography, cohesiveness, contiguity, integrity and compactness of territory as well as the community interests of the districts," said Planning Director Norman Allinder.

With all of those factors taken in to account, two plans are being proposed that alter the face of District 5, which encompasses the Mountain Area. Currently, District 5, includes North Fork, Oakhurst, Coarsegold and about 1/3 of Yosemite Lakes Park, with the remaining 2/3 of YLP as well as Raymond belonging in District 1.

The first alternative includes all mountain communities in District 5, which runs down to the Madera Canal. The second alternative includes all mountain communities but Yosemite Lakes Park, and also includes about 3,800 residents in the northern area of the city of Madera.

Supervisor Bigelow encouraged residents to remain involved in the process. "It comes down to fairness, and how do you want to be represented," he said.

Bigelow also credited staff with working on the plan, saving the county money by doing the work themselves instead of bringing in an outside consultant.

The plans are available on the Madera County Website at www.madera-county.com/rma/archives/uploads/1311894976_Document_upload_boundaryalternativesmap.pdf.

Supervisor Tom Wheeler will discuss the redistricting at his Bass Lake Town Hall Meeting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 18, at The Pines Resort.