Second Dallas City Council Redistricting Plan

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Today, 6-30-11, the final plan was presented to the Dallas Redistricting Commission for study.  Find details at http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/

************* Posts below are archived as of 6-30-11 **************

Following up on feedback received from the redistricting meetings, a second plan is now almost complete. The total deviation from the 85,558 population target has dropped from 4.24% to 3.52%.  The following changes were made to pPlan03, already submitted and posted here on 5/16/11.  They are another strong step forward in efforts to have all communities of interest represented on the Dallas City Council. (Click on the map below to see a larger copy.)

These are the changes made from the first plan, pPlan03, to achieve this second plan:

1. The District 2 northern boundary was moved south to Forney Road and the western boundary was pushed west across White Rock Creek and then northwest to Central Expressway to take in the East Dallas Hispanic Community.  
2. The moving of the northern boundary of District 2 also brought the southern boundary of District 9 down to Forney Road. To balance population the western boundary of District 9 was moved east, across White Rock Lake. That formed District 9 into the 6th Hispanic City Council District: 50.8% Hispanic. 
3. The southeast boundary to District 4 was moved east across the Trinity River to be unified with the Black Community along the eastern edge of East Ledbetter Drive, before it meets with C. F. Hawn freeway. This raised the Black percentage 6 points in District 4, to 59%. 
4. The eastern boundary of District 14 was moved across White Rock Lake, along with other modifications, leading to the above map and the statistics below: 

This work was done on the computers in the Dallas Central Library. If anyone wants copies of this work, the Lplan01 itself so you can improve on it, or more detailed digital copies of the maps produced, please email bbetzen@aol.com.

Last Public Hearing of Dallas City Council Redistricting Commission: 5-24-11

***********************************************************
Today, 6-30-11, the final plan was presented to the Dallas Redistricting Commission for study.  Find details at http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/

************* Posts below are archived as of 6-30-11 **************

While Tuesday, May 24, 2001, was the last of the formal public hearings of the Dallas City Council Redistricting Commission for the only purpose of taking testimony from the public, they will continue to accept testimony at all of their committee meetings starting again Tuesday, June 7th, 6:00 pm at City Hall. The schedule for those meetings is found from the "calendar" link on the left of the pages at http://www.dallascityhall.com/Redistricting/index.html.

If you think pPlan03 on these pages is a logical solution, please attend and testify accordingly. If you see problems with pPlan03, still testify, but also let me know as well the problems you see. I would be honored to meet with you at a computer in the Central Library or in City Hall to work on a correction to the problems you see. bbetzen@aol.com

Dallas City Council Redistricting pPlan03 submitted 05/16/11

*********Updates as of 8-4-11**********
Wplan03 is the significantly revised version of pPlan03.  Maps and details reflecting 8-4-11 changes are posted at  http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/

******* Posts below are archived as of 6-30-11 ********

Below is a map of the current Dallas City Council boundary lines as well as those boundaries from 1991 to 2001. Click on the map below to see a larger copy.

Below is pPlan03 submitted and accepted as a potential redistricting plan by the City of Dallas staff as of 5-17-11.

The above redistricting plan, and the same plan in a different format below, was accepted by for consideration by Dallas City Council Redistricting Commission on Tuesday 5-17-11. (Click on it, and/or the map below, to see larger copies.)

Below are the demographic profiles generated by this pPlan03 in each of the 14 recommended districts. The main goal in designing this plan was to eliminate gerrymandering and restore compact districts to Dallas while at the same time using the most significant boundaries possible for over 99.5% of the boundaries needed, and achieving all voting rights goals in the process. It is hoped that these goals have been exceeded. Almost all district boundaries used are either rivers, creeks, freeways, city limits, railroad tracks, or major 6-lane streets. 

While this pPlan03 is now on record, I am very willing to submit another plan if anyone has ideas of needed changes to it that will improve it. It is such feedback from dozens of involved citizens that has helped this plan to evolve to what is on this page.  Not all feedback can be used due to the voting rights requirements, or due to compactness requirements for districts, as I understand those requirements. Some of the most dedicated and concerned citizens have generously given such feedback that could not be used. I hope they understand. We are one multicultural city that will be ever greater due to that reality. We must all work together so that more and more citizens are encouraged to be actively involved in the day to day decisions our cities evolving history requires. Apathy is the greatest danger.

If you see mistakes on this page, or in this pPlan03, please let me know. 
Bill Betzen, bbetzen@aol.com.

Dallas City Council Redistricting, 5-9-11 Map Update

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Today, 6-30-11, the final plan was presented to the Dallas Redistricting Commission for study.  Find details at http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/

************* Posts below are archived as of 6-30-11 **************

In an effort to reunite Inwood Northwest Homeowners Association, modifications were made by moving the west end of the southern border to District 13 to Lovers Lane.  That allowed Midway to become the western boundary to District 13, another step forward in straightening district boundaries. Click on the above map to see a much larger copy.   The demographic statistics generated by the above map are copied below from the handout used at redistricting community meetings. Click on the graphic to see a larger copy.

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The Dallas City Council Redistricting Map: 05/07/11 version

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***********************************************************
Today, 6-30-11, the final plan was presented to the Dallas Redistricting Commission for study.  Find details at http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/

************* Posts below are archived as of 6-30-11 **************

This is 05-07-11 version of the Dallas City Council Redistricting map which reflects the input of many dozens of people. At the same time, gerrymandering continues to be lessened. Here is the statistics page with an explanation for where the design process on this particular map stands.  Public input is critical!  Click on this image to make it larger:

Here is the map with the boundary lines shown that give the above statistics for each Dallas City Council District. Again, click on it for a larger copy. 

Your questions and comments are welcome.  This map must continue to be improved now that it appears to have met the population and ethnic distribution goals for each of the 14 Dallas City Council Districts.  Balance will be the challenge as every change needs multiple more changes to balance.  Please let me know especially if you see any errors.

Please also come to one or more of the Dallas City Council Redistricting Committees twice weekly meetings in various placed in Dallas.  You can find that schedule at http://www.dallascityhall.com/Redistricting/pdf/public_hearings.pdf . There are meetings every Tuesday and Thursday evening from 7 to 9 pm until May 24th.  The public is strongly encouraged to attend.

It must be stated that I am only a private Dallas citizen and only represent myself in these postings.  I've seen the damage of gerrymandering in Dallas for too many decades.  It must be stopped! Only active citizens, angry enough to vote accordingly, can do that! While our children have been fighting and dying in foreign lands to protect peoples right to democracy, we are letting it be damaged constantly here in Texas. We have a debt to our children to fix things here in Texas.

Bill Betzen, bbetzen@aol.com

Dallas City Council Redistricting Map, 5/3/11 draft from one person

(The plan below was updated 5-13-11 and that plan is being submitted formally to the Commission.  That final plan can be seen at http://dallasredistricting2011.blogspot.com/

The plan below is left here for anyone interested in the evolution of the final plan.)

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This map shows the basic lines.  There will be minor changes made due to the input of the public and from the Redistricting Committee Meetings twice a week.  Please send your opinions to bbetzen@aol.com, or post them here, on this blog.  Here are statistics and comments that go with the above map:

We now have a first draft with statistics that only indicate need for minimal corrections.  Here is the map. If you click on it a larger version will appear.  Then, if you click on that copy, icons will appear that will allow you to enlarge it much more: