HomeMy WebLinkAboutRes 2011-45RESOLUTION NO. 2011-45
A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF
FOUNTAIN HILLS, ARIZONA, URGING THE ARIZONA INDEPENDENT
REDISTRICTING COMMISSION TO RECONSIDER ITS DETERMINATION
REGARDING PLACEMENT OF THE TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS ON THE
"FINALIZED DRAFT 6" CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT MAP.
WHEREAS, the Arizona Constitution requires the creation of a five- member
Independent Redistricting Commission (the "IRC ") to redraw Congressional and Legislative
district boundaries to equalize district populations following each decennial U.S. Census; and
WHEREAS, the IRC was charged with evaluating potential new Congressional districts
against such factors as (i) the requirements of "one- person- one - vote," (ii) the federal Voting
Rights Act, (iii) district shape, (iv) geographical features, (v) respect for communities of interest
and (vi) potential competitiveness; and
WHEREAS, on October 10, 2011, the IRC adopted a draft map of the nine
Congressional districts commonly referred to as "Finalized Draft 6" (the "Draft Map "), which
Draft Map assigned the Town of Fountain Hills (the "Town ") to Congressional District 4
( "District 4 "), while surrounding Communities of Interest including the City of Scottsdale
( "Scottsdale "), the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation ( "Fort McDowell "), the Salt River Pima -
Maricopa Indian Community ( "Salt River ")(collectively, the "Surrounding Communities ") are
located in Congressional District 6 ( "District 6 "); and
WHEREAS, the Draft Map fails to (i) set forth a reasonable district shape, (ii)
demonstrate that the geographical features of the area have been considered and (iii) respect the
long - standing relationship of the Town and the Surrounding Communities as Communities of
Interest; and
WHEREAS, the Town and the Surrounding Communities are Communities of Interest
with strong ties to one another in many respects, including joint cooperation and coordination of
fire and emergency medical services; and
WHEREAS, the Town and Fort McDowell jointly promote and fund tourism efforts
through a common tourism bureau and various other events, and the economies of the Town and
Fort McDowell are inextricably linked; and
WHEREAS, the Town and Fort McDowell share a common school district, and the
children of both communities share many of the same schools; and
WHEREAS, the Town and the Surrounding Communities often share common interests
with respect to major infrastructure projects, which projects often require the communities to
work cooperatively through regional and federal transportation agencies, which cooperation will
be severely hampered if the Town is located in District 4; and
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WHEREAS, the current boundary between District 4 and District 6 divides these tightly
bound Communities of Interest into separate Congressional districts, splintering representation of
the Town and aligning it with rural Arizona communities with whom it has very few common
interests, and in some cases placing it at odds with communities in District 4 when urban /metro
area interests collide with the interests of rural Arizona communities; and
WHEREAS, the shape and extremely diverse and remote geographical locations of the
major population centers of the proposed District 4 creates substantial difficulties for a
representative elected from one portion of the district to be familiar with, or even physically
reach, the other areas of the district; and
WHEREAS, the unique physical land forms around the Town gives it a particularly
intimate relationship with the Surrounding Communities, particularly with respect to their
interconnected open space and recreational facilities; and
WHEREAS, the boundaries of District 4 and District 6 on the Draft Map, if left
unchanged with respect to the Town, may cause irreparable damage to the decades of
cooperative efforts between the Town and the Surrounding Communities.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF
THE TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS as follows:
SECTION 1. The recitals above are hereby incorporated as if fully set forth herein.
SECTION 2. The Mayor and Town Council (the "Town Council ") hereby request that
the IRC approve an amendment to the Draft Map to alter the boundary line between District 4
and District 6 to include the Town and its neighboring community of Rio Verde within the
boundaries of District 6.
SECTION 3. The individual members of the Town Council, the Town Manager and any
authorized designee of the Town Manager are hereby authorized and encouraged to take
appropriate actions to urge the IRC to make the necessary changes to the Draft Map to move the
Town from District 4 into District 6.
[SIGNATURES ON FOLLOWING PAGE]
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PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Mayor and Council of the Town of Fountain Hills,
Arizona, October 20, 2411.
FOR THE TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS:
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(2,Y . Schlurn, Mayor
REVIEWED BY:
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Julia tetti, I scrim Town Manager
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ATTESTED TO:
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APP VED AS TO FORM:
Andrew J. McGuire, Town Attorney
Yuma
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