Redistricting And Rezoning: A Primer

By Sharon Mager

Redistricting and rezoning are terms we hear often and know are supposed to be important, but what exactly are they? Below is a short explanation of the terms and how they could affect local residents. Websites provided at the end of the article will provide additional information including how and when community residents can respond.

Every decade following the census, county district lines are examined and often redrawn to ensure adequate governmental representation based on population demographics. Everyone who lives in the United States lives within several districts from which senators, delegates and representatives are elected. This is true at the federal, state and local levels.

Locally, county council redistricting is done by making revisions to the county charter. The county has seven councilmen who represent individual districts. In 2000 the goal of population per district was 69,951. Now, the magic number is 76,335 with a +/- 5% acceptable deviation.

A five-member commission, appointed by the county council, reviews current demographics and makes recommendations back to the Council, then decide those which they will adopt.

Councilman Dick Ladd, who represents District 5, including Severna Park, Arnold and Cape St. Clare, explained that, in addition to trying to bring the numbers close the 76,335 ideal, the council must also consider ethnicities, natural boundaries, communities of interest and major roadways. They also try to avoid splitting cities, towns and communities.

For example, Ladd explained, south county residents want to have the district represent their natural rural points of view.

“District 7 makes up 40% of the land area of the county. It’s low density compared to what you see in Severna Park or Glen Burnie,” Ladd said.

County residents who live on the water have different interests than those who do not. All of those interests come into consideration during redistricting.

“In district 5 we have gained a population increase of about 1,100 voters, more than our target population. Without an adjustment that would leave the district slightly below the ‘ideal’ number,” explained Ladd. District 7, representing south county, is over their target population by 2.66%. District 4, west county, grew by a whopping 10.93%, spurred tremendously by the growth of intelligence and cyber security agencies at Fort Meade.

District 3, encompassing Lake Shore, Pasadena and Riviera Beach; and district 6, which includes Annapolis, are slightly below their target populations. District 1, which includes Brooklyn, Ferndale and Harmons, is down the most, over 9%.

“I expect that there are some changes that must be made,” Ladd concluded.

Several possibilities have been discussed. The simplest is adjusting the boundary between districts 1 and 4, allowing west county to become a donor to the north county area to “even” out the numbers.

Councilman Derek Fink said the simple approach would help but the council needs to consider all the options. “There are a lot of things to look at to make it better,” Fink added. Fink favors using main arteries, such as Route 100 or Mountain Road as district boundaries.

Fink said his priority is keeping Pasadena intact. “I don’t want to see communities broken off into another district,” he said.

Schools are also a consideration. Fink said there are Glen Burnie schools that are in districts 2 and 3.

“There are a lot of things to look at,” he said. “It will be interesting to see how this goes down.”

Comprehensive Rezoning

Comprehensive rezoning is another process completed each decade. It determines how land will be used, such as commercial, residential, industrial and agricultural purposes.

“This is a very important process that gives property owners a chance to increase the value of their land, meet the needs of the community and sustain reasonable growth,” Derek Fink said.

Comprehensive rezoning is part of an intricate process through which the county controls what goes on in conjunction with the general development plan. This is different than “spot rezoning” which deals with a particular property at a specific time.

It also balances many different needs, including protection of critical areas and preserving the Chesapeake Bay while providing people the opportunity to improve their homes, increase property values and to encourage community and business growth.

A town hall meeting to discuss the county comprehensive rezoning process will be held on Monday, September 12 at 7:00pm at Jacobsville Elementary School. The discussion will include proposed District 3 property zoning changes introduced by the county executive. This process is done once every 10 years and is intended to address and identify county or community need. For additional information regarding the comprehensive zoning process, please visit: www.aacounty.org

For detailed information about redistricting, see the county council website,http://www.aacounty.org/countycouncil/index.cfm.

For information about comprehensive rezoning, see http://www.aacounty.org/PlanZone/LongRange/CompZone.cfm.