photo by: Douglas County screenshot

Commisisoner Karen Willey offered up two of her own suggestions for redistricting maps at the Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022 Douglas County Commission meeting.

The public was able to give more feedback Wednesday on Douglas County’s process for expanding the County Commission from three districts to five — although it wasn’t until nearly four hours into the commission’s meeting — and one commissioner shared some map ideas of her own.

Discussion about a new district map, which the commission must approve by Jan. 1, 2023, was the last item on a long agenda Wednesday night, and it seems there’s still plenty of work ahead to select a map that appeases commissioners and constituents who are looking for increased representation for rural residents.

New this week were two proposed maps crafted by Commissioner Karen Willey, which join a group of four proposed maps created by Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew that were shared last week ahead of a town hall meeting intended to gather public feedback. One of Willey’s maps, titled “Heart of Lawrence,” includes just one district that’s located entirely within Lawrence. The other four districts include portions of Lawrence and extend out to take in portions of the county’s unincorporated areas and smaller cities.

photo by: Douglas County screenshot

Commisisoner Karen Willey offered up two of her own suggestions for redistricting maps at the Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022 Douglas County Commission meeting.

The second map is titled “W, SE, NE, Lawrence N+S” and again includes one district located entirely in Lawrence and four others that include parts of the city and extend out. Either way, both divide the rural areas in largely the same way, she said.

Willey said she wanted districts that had sufficient rural representation, as well as for Douglas County’s smaller cities to have their own representatives.

Willey also said she would prefer a map which didn’t change a lot about her district, but some public commenters said that shouldn’t shape the commission’s decision about whether a map was viable.

Commissioner Patrick Kelly said he’s heard plenty of interest from the public about ensuring rural representation in the new districts, but he said he was concerned that a map like the “County” option — which includes one district that takes in nearly all of Douglas County outside of Lawrence — would encourage an “us versus them” mentality.

photo by: Douglas County screenshot

The “County” map is one of four early options county leaders and the public have considered in redistricting. The commission will need to approve a new map reflecting an expansion from three to five members before the start of 2023.

“I don’t think it’s bad to have one representative for the rural areas that is from the rural area; I think that’s good,” Kelly said. “But it creates four possible commissioners that are in the City of Lawrence … which could create some really hard discussions among the county commission. If it was a rural versus urban issue, it would very easy for four commissioners to dismiss that.”

The commissioners generally seemed to agree that they didn’t like the “County” map. Looking toward next week, commissioners said they want to see some additional resources, like a map that overlays the current commission districts with a new option to see how it changes.

In other business, the commission:

* Approved a request to rezone approximately 15 acres near the southeast corner of Baldwin Junction — the junction of U.S. Highways 56 and 59 in southern Douglas County — from general business to a light industrial district. Planner Mary Miller told the commission that the property owner planned to use the property for a storage facility that utilizes shipping containers.

* Decided not to voice their support for a Tax Increment Financing district for the Crossing Project, a development that would be located on the University of Kansas’ West Campus, until more information is available about how the incentive would align with county goals. The multimillion-dollar project would create special taxing districts for mixed-use development, including retail businesses, affordable and market-rate housing, and a child care center. City of Lawrence leaders already took the first step in approving the project in mid-November, and later steps in the process will go through the Lawrence City Commission for approval.

* Received Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical’s community risk assessment document. LDCFM is required to regularly review and renew the document as part of its accreditation. The document analyzes risks present in the community and the department’s ability to respond to risks in a timely manner.