County drawing up new district boundaries

Adrienne Packer

Tuesday, May 15, 2001 | 10:49 a.m.

After a decade of disproportionate growth in Clark County Commission districts, county planners are tapping into 2000 Census figures to draw new boundaries.

Creating new lines for seven elected officials intent on keeping core supporters and party members within their boundaries is no simple task, especially because some districts have grown to be twice as large as others.

The Clark County Planning Department is whittling a list of scenarios and expects to introduce an ordinance outlining a boundary proposal June 19. A public hearing is scheduled for July 3.

"One principle we're trying to uphold is one man, one vote; equal representation," said John Schlegel, director of the Clark County Department of Comprehensive Planning.

Commissioners for years have complained that districts grew so rapidly that some elected officials were representing twice as many constituents as others. Board members overseeing larger districts are less accessible and aren't as in touch with residents' concerns, they say.

For example, Bruce Woodbury's District A -- which includes Henderson and Boulder City -- grew by 100,609 since the 1990 Census, according to planning records. The 2000 Census shows Woodbury's district has expanded to nearly 300,000 people, more than twice the size of Commissioner Myrna Williams' district.

Woodbury said covering the largest district has not been an easy chore. Not only are there a variety of interests to address and more constituents to answer to, but his campaigns cost more than his colleagues'.

"I have to admit, I get worn out at times," Woodbury said.

How much easier his job will be depends on how the lines are drawn. His task would be easier should he retain chartered cities, such as Boulder City and Henderson, and loses unincorporated townships.

"The more unincorporated areas you represent, the more work a commissioner has to do," Woodbury said. "Not only do you have countywide and regional issues, but you're the municipal government they look to before they look to anyone else."

Schlegel said his goal is to rewrite the boundary lines using a target population of 196,538 per district. The state Legislature allows a 5 percent variance, so each region will have between 186,711 to 206,365 residents.

Planners also are predicting where growth may occur in the next decade -- districts on the outskirts of development -- and where it would remain stagnant.

Older districts such as those overseen by Williams, Dario Herrera and Yvonne Atkinson Gates are established with little room for development. The population in the three districts likely would be drawn to include more than 200,000.

Size isn't the only element important to the board. Commissioners also want their districts' demographic makeup to remain as intact as possible.

Schlegel said smaller districts that will grow significantly, such as Atkinson Gates' region, could be diluted. Atkinson Gates' district, which is predominantly black, will gain more Hispanics and white residents.

"There aren't any major concentrations of black populations in the valley," Schlegel said. "She'll gain quite a bit in population, so it will be more equal."

Atkinson Gates said her district will grow significantly in population, but it will remain identical in regard to racial makeup.

"It's important because you have to make sure minority communities have representation," Atkinson Gates said. "With me being a minority I would think I understand the needs of minorities far better than someone who is not."

Most of the planning department's work was done with software that tallies the populations and tracks party affiliates as computerized boundary lines are adjusted.

"We've been working directly with individual commissioners to see what they're looking for," Schlegel said. "The Democrats don't want to wind up in a heavily Republican district and vice versa."