Your input is needed to assist the redistricting process for the City Council, and one way you can participate is by helping the City develop a list of “communities of interest” or “COI” that can be utilized in the process of adjusting the boundaries of City Council districts.  

What is a Community of Interest?
A Community of Interest is any cohesive group of people that live in a geographically definable area and should be considered as a potential voting block in current or future elections.

There are some communities of interest that are considered “protected classes” in that they have rights through state or federal civil rights or voting rights laws. Some examples of protected classes in districting would be ethnic and racial minorities such as a concentration of Latinx, Asian, or African American people. Protected classes can be described through public input, and there is information that must be used wherever applicable to define these areas and make sure that they are not being harmed by the district boundaries.

There are other COI that can also be considered in districting, but don’t have the higher legal requirements as ethnic or racial minorities. Identifying these other COI are still critical to the process. These may be clusters of senior citizens in one community, a group of college students living in a densely populated area near a campus, people who live in the downtown area or a specific neighborhood, or even people who share concerns such as parents with young children, bicycle enthusiasts, topic interest group, etc.

Community of Interest information was accepted through December 31, 2021.

The City is no longer taking COI information submissions.  An online survey and a paper form, along with email and verbal comments during public hearings, were used to collect COI information.  A copy of the COI Form (PDF) may be downloaded to view the COI questions.