Bandera County District Lines Redrawn
Map of newly drawn line between Precinct One and Precinct Four. Existing line is in bold red. New line is in brown. BULLETIN PHOTO/Cari Golyzniak
On October 28, Chuck Kimbro, attorney for the Bandera County Commissioner’s Court, presented an interactive map draft plan to the court for consideration and discussion.
As a continuation to the October 7 meeting, when the court discovered Bandera County’s population as was 13.22 percent out of balance and therefore obligated by federal law to redraw their lines, the October 28 meeting’s purpose was twofold: to obtain public discussion, participation and input regarding potential options for the redrawing and revision of the county’s commissioner precinct boundaries in order to be in compliance; and for the law firm to show map drafts of re-drawn district lines to demonstrate how to put Bandera County back into balance.
Judge Evans called upon the attending public to come forward with input. No attendees came forward.
Mr. Kimbro then proceeded with his presentation of the maps, which were depicted on a large white screen for the court and the public to see clearly.
Per the October 7 meeting, Bandera County’s 2020 census population count of 20,851, divided by four precincts, required that 5,213 be the ideal number for each precinct to be considered balanced.
The precincts did not balance.
Instead, they deviated from that balance with Precinct One at 5,573 (a 6.91 percent deviation), Precinct Two at 5,393 (a 3.46 percent deviation), Precinct Four at 4,884 (a -6.31 percent deviation), and Precinct 4 at 5,001 (a -4.06 percent deviation).
Mr. Kimbro presented Draft Plan A. This interactive map showed both the existing precinct lines and one newly drawn line between Precinct Three and precinct One.
By giving a small territory of Precinct One to Precinct four, only one redrawn line was necessary to balance the county out.
This move brought Precinct Four from a deviation of -6.31 percent to 7.52 percent, which balanced Bandera County as a whole within 10 percent.
Precincts Two and Four were left unchanged.
The commissioners asked if the line could be moved slightly so as not to separate a particular subdivision into two separate precincts. The line was moved, which affected a population of 16, but did not change the 7.52 percent deviation.
The new line separating Precincts Three and One moves down along Mason Creek.
The new map draft, aptly named Illustrative Plan 1 by Mr. Kimbro, will be brought up for consideration for final approval by the Bandera County Commissioner’s Court on November 9, several days before the legal deadline of November 12.