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The Legislature’s Government Operations Committee  began to examine a draft proposal last Friday for how County the task of County redistricting could be approached, once 2010 Census results are received. It is expected results of last year’s once-a-decade Census count will be in hand soon .

The committee began to consider a proposal prepared by committee chair Mike Lane for establishing an independent Tompkins County Redistricting Commission, appointed by the Legislature, to prepare  “a fair and non-partisan plan of reapportionment plan for County legislative districts” to present to the Legislature for approval.

Lane’s draft, advancing a proposed framework to set up the independent commission, is based on committee study and discussion over the past several months.  In introducing his proposal, Lane described the independent commission as “an important redistricting issue that we would really like to happen.”  This would be the first time an independent commission would be employed in the process of County reapportionment.

As proposed in the draft, the Commission would consist of nine members, appointed by the full County Legislature, who are county residents and registered voters “knowledgeable about Tompkins County, and about government and electoral processes…willing to work cooperatively and in a non-partisan manner to prepare a reapportionment plan that is fair and unbiased” and that complies with state and federal requirements and County standards.

The Tompkins County Charter and Code requires that those preparing reapportionment plan “be guided by the goals of equality of representation,” consistent with policies of the State Legislature as interpreted by the courts.  Factors that must be considered, under the Charter and Code, include minimizing population variance among districts; district compactness; consistency, as practical, with existing municipal boundaries and neighborhoods; and balance and reasonableness of representation  for the diversity of citizens residing in all parts of the County.”

The Committee continues its review of the redistricting commission proposal at a special meeting March 7.

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