12-11-33 Council Meeting Minutes

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t ... 220 11 December�llth, 1933. REGULAR MEETING.. I In re: Ordinance No. 3039 Gentlemen:- Your ordinance No. 3039 relating to the establishment of councilmanic districts it the City of South Bend, as provided for in Section 9 of Chapter 233 of the Acts of the Genera] Assembly ofthe State of Indiana of 1933, was presented to me by the City Clerk for executive ac Inasmuch as there was contention about the ordinance not conforming with the provisions of the law I requested Mr. Moore, City Civil Engineer, to determine the number of electors in the res- pective proposed districts in said ordinance. Following your suggestion that several elections should be taken into consideration the official figures of the 1926, 192541929,1930 and M 19, elections were obtained and placed before Mr. Moore. I am attaching hereto a copy of Mr. Moore report which shows a wide variance in the - different proposed districts. As you will gather from Mr. Moore's report there is a difference of 2917 votes between the fire and second districts, a difference of 2512 votes between the third and fourth districts and a difference of 3236 votes between the fifth and sixth districts. I realize that you have had an.arduous task and I realize, too, that tt is impossible to create districts in which electors are exactly equal in number. However, I have confidence izr the fig- ures presented by Mr. Moore and beli4ve that with this new data at hand your council may be abl to frame a new ordinance conforming more nearly to the law which says: " each district shall ee tain` as.nearly as possible an equal number of electors." In making`this revision we'owe_to the citizens of South Bend a division as nearly equal'as is reasonably possible and I have.confidence . tthat your honorable body is as anxious to do this as` I am:to have it done. I',agree with you that it is well to retain precinct boundaries in this calculation and am of th opinion that you will be able to change some entire precincts in your further effort.,toward equalization. As there is considerable time in which this ordinance can be passed I am accordingly vetoing th same in the hope that you may be able now to easily frame a new ordinance which will avoid the disoarity in votes and also, perhaps, avoid other undesirable consequences. Respectfully submi W. R. Hinkle, Mayor. ion. s • OAF ted, 0 MINUTES. Be it Remembered that the Common Council of the City of South Bend, Indiana, met in J1k th Regular Session in the Council Chambers of the City Hall, Monday evening Decembel -lth, 1933 a 9.0 50;15 o'clock P. M. All Members present. President Nelson opened the Meeting but due to hi recent illness was not able to presideover the Meeting. Vice - President Grzeskowiak took the Chair 'and presided over the Meeting. The Minutes of the two presevious meetings were read and on o ion • of Councilman Hull were accepted as read. Motion.carried. L COMMUNICATION. December 11, 1933. Hon. W. R. Hinkle, Mayor of the City of South Bend South Bend, Indiana. Dear Sir: As per your instructions I have prepared a map showing the old ward districts and 1ha., proposed new wards. I have taken the 1926,1925,1929,1930 and 1932.election figures for each precinct and I have averaged the precincts on this basis. By combining the precinct votes in each of the new districts, using the above election figures,'- I find that there are 772+ voted in the first districts,' x-507 in the second, 5004 in the third 5792 in the fourth, 7532 in the fifth and 4596 in the sixth. All these figures and the method of arriving at same.are shown on map attached hereto. I,can find no combination of election votes which would show that each of the new districts would have anywhere near an equal number of votes. Respectfully, Wm. S. Moore, City Civil Engi eer. COMMUNICATION. -December 11, 1933• Honorable Common Council City of South Bend, Indiana In re: Ordinance No. 3039 Gentlemen:- Your ordinance No. 3039 relating to the establishment of councilmanic districts it the City of South Bend, as provided for in Section 9 of Chapter 233 of the Acts of the Genera] Assembly ofthe State of Indiana of 1933, was presented to me by the City Clerk for executive ac Inasmuch as there was contention about the ordinance not conforming with the provisions of the law I requested Mr. Moore, City Civil Engineer, to determine the number of electors in the res- pective proposed districts in said ordinance. Following your suggestion that several elections should be taken into consideration the official figures of the 1926, 192541929,1930 and M 19, elections were obtained and placed before Mr. Moore. I am attaching hereto a copy of Mr. Moore report which shows a wide variance in the - different proposed districts. As you will gather from Mr. Moore's report there is a difference of 2917 votes between the fire and second districts, a difference of 2512 votes between the third and fourth districts and a difference of 3236 votes between the fifth and sixth districts. I realize that you have had an.arduous task and I realize, too, that tt is impossible to create districts in which electors are exactly equal in number. However, I have confidence izr the fig- ures presented by Mr. Moore and beli4ve that with this new data at hand your council may be abl to frame a new ordinance conforming more nearly to the law which says: " each district shall ee tain` as.nearly as possible an equal number of electors." In making`this revision we'owe_to the citizens of South Bend a division as nearly equal'as is reasonably possible and I have.confidence . tthat your honorable body is as anxious to do this as` I am:to have it done. I',agree with you that it is well to retain precinct boundaries in this calculation and am of th opinion that you will be able to change some entire precincts in your further effort.,toward equalization. As there is considerable time in which this ordinance can be passed I am accordingly vetoing th same in the hope that you may be able now to easily frame a new ordinance which will avoid the disoarity in votes and also, perhaps, avoid other undesirable consequences. Respectfully submi W. R. Hinkle, Mayor. ion. s • OAF ted, 0