Des Moines backtracks on consideration of county-proposed ward map pitting city councilors against each other – desmoinesregister.com

Watch a timelapse of the Dico demolition in downtown Des Moines

The Superfund site is now clear of the old factory and ready for a massive redevelopment centered on the home of a USL Championship team. Video from the city of Des Moines.

Kim Norvell, Des Moines Register

The Des Moines City Council took the first step Tuesday night in its redistricting process by voting to send one of three proposed mapsto the Polk County Auditor's Office for review.

The maps considered at Tuesday's meeting, all of which were proposed by the city of Des Moines, were a drastic departure from what the city had previously saidit planned to consider.

Initially, city staff said the council would considertwo maps: one proposed by the county and anotherthat had been developedby city staff.

The city-proposed map didnot deviate far from the existing wards, but the county-proposedmap would have pitted two city councilors against each other and drastically shifted Des Moines' four wards away fromthe north, south, east and west quadrants of the city, as they're currently drawn, insteadaligning them with the Des Moines school board's district boundaries, according to county officials.

More: These proposed Des Moines City Council boundary map changes could pit incumbents against each other

But when residents walked into Tuesday's meeting,they were presented with three new maps, two of whichhad never been seen by the publicbefore that night.

"Frankly, I think this meeting is already really ridiculous," said Des Moines resident Bridget Peterson. "The fact that we all came here thinking that certain maps were going to beproposed and then finding out at the last second that they're notis incredibly unorganized."

"You guys issued the news release saying you were going to discuss it. So it's a little disappointing," said Carol Maher, another Des Moines resident."It sounds a little (like a) backroom dealing to me."

City Manager Scott Sanders backtracked on the city's previous statement, saying the county map was only ever a concept and stressing that it was submitted along with the city's newly drawn precinctsbut was not being considered.

While city officials say they understood that the county auditor was trying to make the ballot process easier by suggesting the wards align with Des Moines Public School board's district boundaries,city staff's proposalsaligned precincts with simpler ballots without going in the county's suggested direction.

Each of the three proposalsconsidered Tuesday put one state lawmaker, one school board memberand one council member in every precinct, councilors said.

Theprecincts, created by the city in accordance with state law, have less than 3,500 people in them and decrease the number of precincts from 88 to 79, according to a city spokesperson.

More, for subscribers, previously: Proposed changes to Des Moines' wards would pit two City Council members against each other in 2023

Despite the majority of public comment in favor of Plan 2, which would have added a portion of Ward 3 along I-235 to Ward 1, the council voted to move forward with Plan 3, which instead movesa majority of downtown, currently split between Ward 3 and 4,into Ward 3.

While movingthe entire East Village neighborhood into Ward 3, Plan 3 wouldalso divide Wards 3 and 4 in a straight line down Southwest 9th Street, where they're currently separated by a more jagged boundary.

City officials argued the change would make the wards easier to describe to constituents.

"Partially, I think that confusion is over the Southwest 9th corridor," said Ward 3 council member Josh Mandelbaum. "I think, in that regard, it's a cleaner map and easier to explain."

Incoming Ward 1 councilwoman Indira Sheumaker told the Des Moines Register that others, including herself, advocated for Plan 2 because they felt it was necessary to keep the downtown region separated to promote economic diversity between the city's wards.

"We felt like concentrating that all into one ward not only with the money and economic aspect of all the businesses and stuff over there was going to sort of just change the distribution of that economic concentration ... into one district," Sheumaker said."We wanted to have the possibility of diversity in other wards, and we thought that (map) eliminated sorts of diversity, economic and otherwise."

Some of those sentiments are being felt atthe East Village Neighborhood Association, as its president, Luke Dickens, told the Register he wants the East Village to remain independent of the Downtown neighborhood, which is in Ward 3.

With the East Village being more small business minded, he says it just makes more sense for it to have a different council representative than downtown, saying the two neighborhoods have "different DNA."

"Having a councilperson who represents the south side and the East Village, I think that makes more sensebecause we have different issues thanwhat Court Avenue is gonna have, or Gateway ... there'sa lot of different things," Dickens said.

Ward 1:Under Plan 3, Ward 1 would gain some territory in the Drake Neighborhood, extending from part of University Avenue south to Interstate 235. As a result, Ward 1 would also absorb bot Cheatom and Good Park neighborhoods. Waveland Park would still be divided between Wards 1 and 3 along University Avenue.

Ward 2:Remains unchanged. The boundaries still followalong the northeastside of the Des Moines River heading eastalong I-235 to East University Avenue.

Ward 3:Loses ground in the Drake, Cheatom Park and Good Park neighborhoods as part of the northern border of Ward 3 now ends along I-235 heading west into Ward 2. Ward 3 would gain all of the East Village, effectively putting all of the city's downtown region in one ward. The eastern ward boundary then follows a straight line down Southwest 9th Street, losing all of Indianola Hills to Ward 4.

Ward 4:Loses the East Village neighborhood with its northwest boundary beginning along East 14th Street with the Capitol East neighborhood. Its western ward boundary would then curve south around the outer portions of the East Village and Downtown neighborhoods and run straight down Southwest 9th Street, gaining the Indianola Hillsneighborhood.

Plan 3 will go to the Polk Auditor's Office, where the county will have 7-10 days to review the plan and offer recommendations, as directed by Iowa Code. The city will then reconvene at a public hearing on Dec. 20 to finalize themap and send its materials to Iowa's Secretary of State's Office,as directed by state law.

After each city in Polk County has finalized itsmaps, the county will begin its process to re-precinct, which includes redrawing the Polk County Supervisor districts. State law dictates the Legislative Services Agency draws the supervisor boundaries for39 Iowa counties that require voters to choose a candidate who lives in their district, which includes Polk County.

The county has 90 daysto complete its maps after the state approved new congressional and legislative districts on Nov. 4.

Melody Mercado covers Des Moines city government for the Register. Reach her at mmercado@registermedia.comor Twitter @melodymercadotv.

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Des Moines backtracks on consideration of county-proposed ward map pitting city councilors against each other - desmoinesregister.com