Despite lopsided population numbers in county commission districts, redrawing La Plata County commissioners’ boundaries may wait until 2013

The latest census shows the county’s three commission districts are uneven in number, but County Clerk and Recorder Tiffany Lee said Wednesday she won’t be redrawing the lines this year.

“It would unseat a current county commissioner, and I wouldn’t recommend that,” Lee said.

Instead, she will ask commissioners to approve a decision to leave the district lines as is until 2013, when the county board’s makeup could change.

According to 2010 census data, District 1, which is located in the western portion of the county and is represented by County Commissioner Bobby Lieb, is home to 16,370 residents. District 2, which covers much of Durango’s population and is represented by County Commissioner Kellie Hotter, has 16,731 residents. District 3, meanwhile, is home to 18,233 residents, who are represented by Wally White.

Local officials, though not required by the state, often try to keep their districts even. In fact, the county has historically tried to stay within the same 5 percent deviation rate the state uses, said County Manager Shawn Nau.

But if it involves ousting a current board member, it’s not unusual to delay the matter, he said.

“Even districts is a good goal, but we’re all voting at-large so there’s no real difference to the voters,” Nau said.

The district lines eventually will change, though, Lee said. In fact, some area residents already have requested boundary changes.

Lee plans to recommend in 2013 that the lines be redrawn to include residents in the Grandview and Three Springs areas in the urban District 2, rather than their current spot, which has those locals lumped in with residents in Bayfield and Ignacio.

Lee said La Plata County residents’ district representatives at the state and federal levels could change in the coming months if state officials’ redistricting plans divide parts of the county into other districts.

All of La Plata County currently rests in the same district for the U.S. House of Representatives and state Senate and state House of Representatives.

Also, despite population growth in election precincts during the last decade, Lee plans to make only one change to a precinct line.

At the request of residents in the Falls Creek area, part of what is now Precinct 12 will move into Precinct 6 so that those voters can cast their ballots at Needham Elementary School and eliminate unnecessary driving.

Mail-in elections also are minimizing the need to redraw precinct boundaries. Precincts where active voter numbers are nearing 1,500 historically would trigger new lines or polling places. However, like many other counties in the state, Lee has recommended the threshold be raised to 2,000 active voters.

“With more voters using mail-in ballots than ever, this is the time to do it,” Lee said.

hscofield@durangoherald.com