Boundaries may remain as is

Local News

DISTRICT 2000 POPULATION 2010 POPULATION GAIN/LOSS

District 1: 6,167 6,723 Gain, 556.

District 2: 6,732 7,287 Gain, 555.

District 3: 6,580 6,913 Gain, 333.

District 4: 6,391 6,002 Loss, 389.

District 5: 6,448 6,678 Gain, 230.

District 6: 6,532 6,316 Loss, 216.

District 7: 6,772 6,849 Gain, 77.

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February 3, 2012

DENISE A. RAYMO Press-Republican The Press Republican Fri Feb 03, 2012, 02:16 PM EST

MALONE — Preliminary redistricting numbers are out for Franklin County's legislative districts, and officials say existing boundary lines probably won't change.

The county's overall population is 51,599, according to the 2010 U.S. Census. That compares to 51,134 in 2000, and legislators have already decided not to include the 4,796 institutionalized residents of the county in its number crunching.

The Census Bureau defines the institutionalized as those in correctional facilities for adults, juvenile facilities, nursing and skilled-nursing facilities and other institutional facilities.

Board of Elections Commissioners Veronica King (Republican) and Kathy Fleury (Democrat) handed out a folder of colorful maps and columns of numbers, detailing the existing district sizes and the corresponding population figures in each.

They said the 2010 calculations place Franklin County well within the 10 percent size deviation that the federal government allows among districts that still ensure that each citizen is equally represented under "one man, one vote."

'BUCK STOPS HERE'

Fleury and King are expected to continue work on the plan, and they are likely to be joined by an elected representative from each party to form a committee that will formulate a final recommendation for legislators.

There had been discussion of allowing members of the public to be part of a committee to look at the numbers.

But legislators backed away from that Thursday, saying too many people involved would bog down the process.

They also said there will be opportunities for taxpayers to voice their opinions when the final proposal is put together.

Legislator Timothy Burpoe (D-Saranac Lake) said the county could hold a public information session "to solicit public opinion" then tweak the plan and still have it ready for a formal public hearing to adopt a local law accepting the final redistricting plan.

Guy "Tim" Smith (D-Fort Covington) said he doesn't want to see a variety of alternate plans offered as was done for the previous census that ended in a lawsuit in 2002 and special election.

He said there are not any large changes in the existing boundaries, "and you can't go with 50 different theories.

"The buck stops here with the seven of us," Smith said.

TAXPAYERS SUED

The accepted deviation allowed by the U.S. Supreme has been as high as 16 percent in some states, and the plan Franklin County tried to adopt in 2002 was at 21 percent.

Four taxpayers sued the county over its redistricting law, and a judge agreed, declaring the plan unconstitutional.

A new plan was ordered, and a special election held in 2004 with one-year County Legislature terms.

The revised plan the county adopted had a district deviation of 9.3 percent.

Under the preliminary new numbers:

District 1 includes the St. Regis Mohawk Indian Reservation in Bombay Election District 2, Fort Covington and Westville; and District 2 includes Bellmont, Burke, Chateaugay, Constable and Malone Election District 4.

District 3 includes Bangor, Brighton, Duane and Malone election districts 8, 9 and 10; and District 4 includes Malone election districts 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7.

District 5 includes Bombay Election District 1, Brandon, Dickinson, Moira and Waverly, District 6 includes Altamont and Santa Clara, and District 7 includes Franklin and Harrietstown.

Email Denise A. Raymo at: draymo@pressrepublican.com