Tuesday Is the Last Day to Comment on King County’s Redistricting Proposal

The last chance for the public to comment on a King County redistricting plan that adds parts of Redmond to District 6 is Tuesday, Nov. 1.

The proposed plan would move the boundary between District 3 and District 6 farther east, adding more of the city’s population to King County Council District 6, currently represented by Councilmember Jane Hague, with the remaining 56 percent of residents remaining in District 3, represented by Councilmember Kathy Lambert.

By law, council district boundaries must be redrawn after each U.S. Census to make each district as nearly equal in population as possible. The target population for each 2011 Council district is 214,583. All districts in the proposed plan are within one-quarter of one percent of the target, according to the county’s website.  

The County Charter places sole responsibility for redistricting with the independent, citizen Districting Committee. Four members were appointed by the King County Council in January: Rod Dembowski, John Jensen, Sally Nelson and Sally Poliak.  

The last chance for the public to comment on the plan is at a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the County Council chambers on the 10th floor of the county courthouse at 516 Third Ave. in Seattle.

You can also comment online via the committee’s website at http://www.kingcounty.gov/operations/districting/testimony.aspx, but comments must be received by the end of the day.

Details about the plan can be found on the committee’s website: http://www.kingcounty.gov/operations/districting.aspx.