HomeMy WebLinkAboutord2014-025 WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL AGENDA BILL NO. 2014-130
CLEARANCES Initial Date Date Received in Council Office Agenda Date Assigned to:
Originator: DA 3/19/14 3/25/14 Introduction
Division Head: 4/8/14 Hearing
Dept.Head: DA 3/19/14,ry
Prosecutor: /,0 3-£t//y
Purchasing/Budget:
Executive: �
3 .20 .14
TITLE OF DOC NT:
Repealing and R placing Whatcom County Code Section 1.14, Electoral Precincts, to Amend Certain
Election Precinct Boundaries,Approve New Precinct Boundaries as Necessary and Adopt a Book of Election
Precinct Maps by Reference
ATTACHMENTS:
Ordinance
SEPA review required? ( ) Yes ( x ) NO Should Clerk schedule a hearing? ( x ) Yes ( ) NO
SEPA review completed? ( ) Yes ( x ) NO Requested Date:April 8,2014
SUMMARY STATEMENT OR LEGAL NOTICE LANGUAGE: (If this item is an ordinance or requires a public
hearing,you must provide the language for use in the required public notice. Be specific and cite RCW or WCC as appropriate. Be
clear in explaining the intent of the action.)
Changes are needed to correct certain precinct boundary lines in Whatcom County Code Section 1.14 due to
annexations in the City of Bellingham and the City of Everson; to correct a scrivener's error in the Congressional
district boundaries; and to change boundaries to reduce the number of"splits" in designated precincts.
This replaces the entire language of WCC 1.14, with new language creating a"Book of Election Precinct Maps"
adopted by reference and available through the Whatcom County Council Office, the Whatcom County Auditor's
Office, and online.
COMMITTEE ACTION: COUNCIL ACTION:
3/25/2014: Introduced
4/08/2014: Council Adopted 7-0
Ord. 2014-025
.j
Related County Contract#: Related File Numbers: Ordinance or Resolution Number:
Ord. 2014-025
Please Note: Once adopted and signed, ordinances and resolutions are available for viewing and printing on
the County's website at: www.co.whatcom.wa.us/council.
1 PROPOSED BY: Auditor
2 SPONSORED BY: Auditor
3 INTRODUCTION DATE: 3/25/2014
4
5
6 ORDINANCE NO. 2014-025
7
8 REPEALING AND REPLACING WHATCOM COUNTY CODE SECTION 1.14, ELECTORAL
9 PRECINCTS, TO AMEND CERTAIN ELECTION PRECINCT BOUNDARIES, APPROVE
10 NEW PRECINCT BOUNDARIES AS NECESSARY AND ADOPT A BOOK OF ELECTION
11 PRECINCT MAPS BY REFERENCE
12
13 WHEREAS, RCW 29A.16.050(1) mandates that every voting precinct must be wholly
14 within a single congressional district, a single legislative district, and a single district of a
15 county legislative authority; and
16
17
18 WHEREAS, annexations in July, 2013 to the cities of Bellingham and Everson
19 divided some precincts of Whatcom County requiring that they and some adjacent precinct
20 boundaries be redrawn resulting in the creation of a new precinct (268) and a change to an
21 existing precinct (13) in the City of Bellingham, and a change to Precincts 402 and 146,
22 respectively, in the City of Everson; and
23
24
25 WHEREAS, a scrivener's error was discovered in the district boundary between
26 Congressional Districts One and Two resulting in the boundaries of Precincts 221, 160 and
27 159 being adjusted; and
28
29
30 WHEREAS, it has been determined that many of the existing precincts included a
31 large number of"splits" due to the number of taxing districts within the precinct boundaries
32 and that by adjusting the boundary lines of certain precincts the number of"splits" could be
33 reduced, namely, Precincts 102, 104, 105, 107, 108, 110, 111, 113, 114, 119, 124, 126,
34 127, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 140, 141, 144, 145, 146, 147, 153, 154, 156,
35 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 163, 165, 168, 244, 250, 259, 263, 266, 610 and 611 having
36 their boundaries adjusted and Precincts 109 and 128 being eliminated; and
37
38
39 WHEREAS, RCW 29A.16.040 requires the county legislative authority of each county
40 in the state to divide the county into election precincts and establish the boundaries of the
41 precincts and does not specify the format of the boundary descriptions; and
42
43
44 WHEREAS, it has been determined that it is more efficient to adopt precinct
45 boundary maps and the county shape files as the precinct boundaries instead of written
46 boundary descriptions; and
47
48
49 WHEREAS, RCW 29A.16.040(1) further provides that no precinct boundary changes
50 may be made starting fourteen (14) days prior to the first day candidates may file for
Page 1
1 primary election (this year May 12, 2014) through the period ending with the general
2 election, make this a timely request; and
3
4
5 WHEREAS, RCW 29A.16.070 provides the County Auditor shall transfer and notify
6 any registered voters that may be affected by the change in boundaries.
7
8
9
10 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the Whatcom County Council that
11 Whatcom County Code Section 1.14 is hereby repealed and replaced in its entirety as
12 outlined in Exhibit A to this Ordinance.
13
14 BE IT FINALLY ORDAINED that all future amendments to election precinct
15 boundary maps will be adopted by the Whatcom County Council.
16
17 ,,,`��►sstii1i1lrr Jr/.1,.
18 .Ob 15°'` 3t-h day of April , 2014.
19 20 -�'s� - C°4;'•:<-
21 :0 COVE .8r •: WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
22 A � a� '�- WHATCOM COUNTY, WASHINGTON
24 2 f`�
25 Dana : own,Da s .tferko of Vie Council Carl Weimer, Council Chair
26
28 WHATCOM COUNTY EXECUTIV
29 APPROVED AS TO -0 • . WHA .M CO NTY, HINGTON
30 •
31
32 Royce B 1:
33 Civil D putrosecutor Jack Louw ;'�County Executive
34
35 ( Approved ( ) Denied
36 "l/q/1"1/37 Date Signed:
38
Page 2
EXHIBIT A
1.14 ELECTION PRECINCT BOUNDARIES
The Whatcom County election precinct boundaries as drawn by the Whatcom County Auditor
are set forth in a Book of Election Precinct Maps dated March 2014, adopted by reference
and available through the Whatcom County Council Office, the Whatcom County Auditor's
Office, and online through the Election page at the Whatcom County Auditor's homepage,
http://www.co.whatcom.wa.us/auditor/.
BOOK OF PROPOSED MAPS ON
FILE IN THE COUNTY COUNCIL
OFFICE, 311 GRAND AVENUE
AB2014- 130