Laserfiche WebLink
wo,m,Q with Yam To <br />ew,mt<e Our o,.arw of <br />TO: <br />Ramsey County Board of Commissioners <br />220 Court House <br />15 West Kellogg Boulevard <br />St. Paul, MN 55102 e (651) 266-8350 o Fax (651) 266 -8370 <br />www.co.ramsey.mn.us <br />MEMORANDUM <br />Ramsey County Mayors <br />Ramsey County City Council Members <br />Ramsey County School Board Members <br />FROM: Victoria Reinhardt, Chair, Ramsey County Board of Commissioners <br />DATE: May 9, 2011 <br />SUBJECT: Congressional Redistricting <br />Tony Bennett <br />Toni Carter <br />Jim McDonough <br />Rafael Ortega <br />Jan Parker <br />Victoria Reinhardt <br />Janice Rettman <br />Jute Kleinschmidt <br />County Manager <br />The Ramsey County Board of Commissioners would like your support for a County Board resolution that <br />addresses congressional redistricting. In Resolution #2011 -100, the County Board requests the State <br />Legislature and the Governor to develop a redistricting plan that maintains Ramsey County as a whole within <br />one congressional district. Ramsey County has effectively been a whole political jurisdiction in a single <br />Congressional district since 1891. <br />Maintaining Ramsey County within one congressional district is consistent with congressional redistricting <br />principles used after the 2000 Census. The principles said that congressional districts should be drawn with <br />attention to county, city and township boundaries. <br />However, Ramsey County's boundary is more than a legal, geographic description. The boundary surrounds <br />the strong networks of relationships that exist within our community. Over the years, our jurisdictions have done <br />extensive work in developing cooperative relationships and consolidated services that bind us together. The <br />multitude of joint boards, mutual aid agreements, shared services and other arrangements among cities, school <br />districts and the county have woven us together in a well- defined community of interest. We each have our own <br />unique identity, but we work together to continuously improve our communities. <br />Having the County within one congressional district provides a single point of contact for addressing issues and <br />programs that affect local jurisdictions and federal agencies. A more complex set of relationships would make <br />these communications more difficult. <br />In addition, as a county with one of the smallest land areas and highest population densities in the country, <br />Ramey County is clearly a compact area that should continue to provide the core of a well- defined <br />congressional district. <br />A copy of Ramsey County Resolution #2100 -100 is enclosed for your information. Please review it and consider <br />expressing your support by passing a similar resolution. <br />If you have any comments or questions, please contact (651) 266 -8368. <br />cc: Ramsey County Board of Commissioners <br />Julie Kleinschmidt <br />Attachment <br />1 <br />