Thurston County sets public hearing for possibly short-lived redistricting plan
Thurston County residents will have an opportunity in November to comment on a plan to adjust its Commissioner district boundaries.
The Board of County Commissioners has unanimously approved setting a public hearing on the matter for 3 p.m. Nov. 9 or as soon thereafter as the matter may be heard. The move comes as the board also plans to expand the board of commissioners from three to five members, which will require it to redraw districts in the next few years.
District boundaries must be adjusted every 10 years under state law to balance the population based on the results of the U.S. census, County Manager Ramiro Chavez said. Work on the adjustments was delayed this year because of a delay in the processing and release of census data from state and federal agencies, he said.
The latest census data show Thurston County’s population grew by 16.9% or 42,529 people to 294,793, The Olympian previously reported. Much of the growth involved people who identify as Hispanic or two or more races, meaning the population diversified.
When the county received the census data, Chavez said they determined they needed to move about 5,576 people from District 2 and redistribute them between District 1 and 3. This way each district would have as close to 33% of the population, or 98,260 people, as possible.
However, the county had established a few rules for how it wished to adjust the boundaries. For one, Ramiro said it planned to move only entire precincts along district boundaries to not divide any voting populations.
Additionally, he said the county aimed to ensure any sitting elected official and candidates would remain in their districts. Prior to agreeing on this approach, he said the county met with the Port of Olympia and Public Utility District to receive their input.
Jamie Caldwell, a Thurston County staffer who helped coordinate the proposed adjustments, presented a plan to the board during an Oct. 12 meeting.
Caldwell said county staff propose shifting 5,455 people from District 2 to District 1; 2,722 people from District 1 to 3; and 817 people from District 3 to 1.
To achieve this, staff ultimately decided to move precincts 80, 307, 308, 309, 310, 311, 316 and 337 from District 2 to 1. They also chose to move precincts 219 and 243, which are located along Deschutes Parkway Southwest, from District 1 to 3.
Lastly, she said staff recommended shifting precincts 67 and 412 from District 3 to 1. These precincts were all located near the border between Olympia and Lacey, and west Olympia and east Olympia.
With those moves, Caldwell said District 1 would gain 3,550 people, District 2 would lose 5,455 people, and District 3 would gain 1,905 people.
The three commissioners did not express any concerns about the plan during the Tuesday meeting when they set the public hearing. During the Oct. 12 meeting, Menser thanked Caldwell for proposing to move precincts 219 and 243 into his district.
“West Olympia thanks you for unifying us under this new district,” Menser said. “We’ve been a house divided for too long.”
The board plans to adopt the redistricting plan before the end of the year. However, it may not stick with this plan for the full 10 years ahead of it.
During a Tuesday agenda-setting meeting, the board discussed plans to increase the number of county commissioners to five and redraw district boundaries.
A draft of a joint resolution with the Port of Olympia indicates the county and the port will collaborate on redrawing boundaries and agree to form a three-member redistricting committee.
If approved, this committee would include the chair of the County Commission, the chair of the Port Commission and the County Auditor. Though the auditor would be included, she would not have voting power and instead offer technical guidance, per the resolution.
In July, the port and county commissions agreed to collaborate on putting forth a ballot measure to increase the number of commissioners for both boards to make the matter clearer for voters.
Washington state law allows both commissions to submit such a ballot measure, Chavez said but Thurston County may only do so when the county population reaches 300,000 or more.
As of the latest census, Thurston County remains below that threshold. However, Chavez said he expects the county will surpass that milestone soon.
“I myself feel optimistic that by next April, when the state releases the new numbers, Thurston County will be at 300,000,” Chavez said.
The proposed joint resolution sets a May 2, 2022, deadline. Chavez said the Port Commission would be free to exercise its right to put forth the measure at that point if Thurston County does not reach its population threshold.
This story was originally published October 25, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
