Every ten years, Lane County asks a group of volunteers to suggest updates to its charter - which is similar to a constitution.
This time around, commissioners might also consider a controversial outside proposal that would overhaul how the county draws its political maps.
The volunteer charter committee’s proposal includes switching geographic district names for numbers and creating an independent redistricting committee.
Some commissioners expressed interest in a new proposal from a local lawyer that would enshrine a more restrictive redistricting process in the charter, and force the county to draw new maps next year.
In May, Commissioners Ryan Ceniga, David Loveall and Pat Farr indicated during a meeting they might consider it. It has not formally come before the body and was only in the agenda as a form of public comment.
The county’s legal team has reviewed it, but that analysis has not been released to the public.
During their meeting Wednesday, Commissioner Laurie Trieger said no decisions would be made until the formal vote scheduled on July 9.
“The question before us is yes or no to refer any or all recommendations that have come to us to the voters who will ultimately decide,” she said. “The recommendations have come to us through very clear, thorough and vetted processes, which was our committee and some have come to us from the public.”
The proponents – including its author Stan Long – described the outside proposal as “good government” and “housekeeping changes.” William Gary, attorney for the proposal’s author, said their approach keeps political influence out.
“The proposal for an independent redistricting committee is not unique and it's not new,” he said during the hearing Wednesday.
Under his proposal, only people who have been registered voters in Lane County for three years and have participated in at least two of the last three elections are allowed to serve on the redistricting committee.
They also can’t be a registered lobbyist, a paid congressional, legislative or campaign staffer or county employee, or directly related to people in those positions.
The most controversial aspect of his proposal is the suggested changes to the Board of Commissioner districts themselves. The current descriptions don’t include any landmarks, or concrete boundaries. His proposal would permanently make Roosevelt Boulevard and the Willamette River the border between South Eugene, currently represented by Laurie Trieger, and North Eugene, currently represented by Pat Farr.
Several members of the public and charter review committee, including Stefan Ostrach, have raised concerns. He called it a last ditch effort to pack liberal voters into a single district.
“What’s really going on here is stealth gerrymandering,” he said. “By arbitrarily designating Roosevelt Boulevard it will do exactly the opposite of what it purports to do.”
Shifting the boundary there would move the Whiteaker neighborhood, currently in Farr’s district, to Trieger’s district.
Ostrach was one of several community members who urged the commissioners to stick to its own committee’s suggestions - which include a different independent redistricting committee proposal, as well as new district names.
Their proposal requires an independent group to have the final say on county election maps - but leaves the details to county code which can be changed with a simple majority vote.
Charter Committee Chair Morgan Munro said their suggestions were designed to increase engagement and make the charter less confusing.
She argued that Long’s proposal could put the county in violation of federal law if it ever becomes a part of the charter.
“I’m really concerned that his end run around our committee will open the county to serious lawsuits,” Munro said. “(It) will waste vital resources that we don’t have to waste on partisan redistricting on a whim … and enshrine into our charter items that will not stand the test of time.”
Next month county commissioners will decide which, if any, suggestions they will send to voters, who will get the final say on any changes to the county’s charter.
