Redistricting

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As the City works to update Loveland’s ward boundaries, some residents may find themselves in a different ward for the 2023 election season. This process is what’s known as redistricting, and these efforts are necessary for several reasons – but most importantly, it ensures that wards remain as equal in population as possible and allows the City to coordinate with Larimer County on local elections, making it easier for residents to vote. Redistricting is an as-needed process that usually happens after new population data is calculated through the U.S. Census Bureau.

A brief history

Loveland’s City Charter established four wards to divide the City in 1966, and nine other boundary adjustments have been made since then, with the last adjustment in 2017. In 2021, both the State of Colorado and Larimer County went through similar efforts and established new boundaries for state congressional and legislative districts as well as county precincts. As Loveland continues to grow and as boundaries expand, population data shows that Loveland’s current ward counts are off-balance - with several wards having a population difference of more than 10% – more than twice the allowed amount.

The redistricting process

The redistricting process is driven by the City Clerk’s Office with support from the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) team and is guided by the City Charter and the Municipal Code. When establishing new ward boundaries, the City needs to ensure that:

  1. Currently seated City Councilors remain in their same ward;
  2. There is no more than a 5% deviation in population between wards;
  3. Wards match County precincts with only one ward in each precinct;
  4. Wards be as compact as possible without splits;
  5. Wards align with natural breaks (such as roadways, neighborhoods, lakes/rivers and railroads) as much as possible.

City staff have taken necessary steps to create four possible options that meet the above criteria.

Share your voice in the process

Now through January 31, 2023, residents are invited to provide comments on the proposed options ahead of the 2023 election season. Additional information can be found in the sidebar to the right (or below on mobile devices).

As the City works to update Loveland’s ward boundaries, some residents may find themselves in a different ward for the 2023 election season. This process is what’s known as redistricting, and these efforts are necessary for several reasons – but most importantly, it ensures that wards remain as equal in population as possible and allows the City to coordinate with Larimer County on local elections, making it easier for residents to vote. Redistricting is an as-needed process that usually happens after new population data is calculated through the U.S. Census Bureau.

A brief history

Loveland’s City Charter established four wards to divide the City in 1966, and nine other boundary adjustments have been made since then, with the last adjustment in 2017. In 2021, both the State of Colorado and Larimer County went through similar efforts and established new boundaries for state congressional and legislative districts as well as county precincts. As Loveland continues to grow and as boundaries expand, population data shows that Loveland’s current ward counts are off-balance - with several wards having a population difference of more than 10% – more than twice the allowed amount.

The redistricting process

The redistricting process is driven by the City Clerk’s Office with support from the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) team and is guided by the City Charter and the Municipal Code. When establishing new ward boundaries, the City needs to ensure that:

  1. Currently seated City Councilors remain in their same ward;
  2. There is no more than a 5% deviation in population between wards;
  3. Wards match County precincts with only one ward in each precinct;
  4. Wards be as compact as possible without splits;
  5. Wards align with natural breaks (such as roadways, neighborhoods, lakes/rivers and railroads) as much as possible.

City staff have taken necessary steps to create four possible options that meet the above criteria.

Share your voice in the process

Now through January 31, 2023, residents are invited to provide comments on the proposed options ahead of the 2023 election season. Additional information can be found in the sidebar to the right (or below on mobile devices).

Have a question about the redistricting process or any of the new options? Ask it below and we'll follow-up shortly!

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    [The following question was initially shared on Twitter by Scott] What is the significance of the wards? Elections? Zoning? Police patrol sectors? Funding? Taxes?

    about 1 year ago

    Hi! Great question! Wards are important for elections. In an election, you are able to vote for City Council candidates to represent the ward that you live in. Each ward has two councilmembers who, along with the mayor, make up our 9-person City Council. These elected officials introduce and vote on new laws, policy and other aspects of city life. Police patrol units are not associated with wards.

    You can find more info on our City Council Members and wards here.

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    [The following question was initially shared on Facebook by Lynn A.] Is it possible to rezone into eight Wards with one rep per ward? Ward 4 is a challenge because of its geographic size and the differing needs of the neighborhoods within the ward. It's evident by the comments on this post that ward 4 is viewed as problematic. How can we fix this? Ward 4 is far from compact. 🤔 my concern is centered around Ward 4 and the vast expanse of that one ward. I did see the options being presented but didn't see anything that solves the issue with ward 4. My thought was that by splitting each ward in two, there would be better representation of the various parts of Loveland. In the case of ward 4, a possible split at hwy 34 or 29th st (depending on population) would allow better representation for both the north and south sides. It's just a thought. 🙂

    about 1 year ago

    Hey Lynn 🙂 You're right — Ward 4 currently is our largest ward based on population, but the redistricting process will better balance the populations between our wards. And while Ward 4 may appear visually larger in the new redistricting options, it's also important to remember that northeast Loveland has a lot of undeveloped land and industrial and commercial sites (like the airport and events center).

    Because our precincts must align with Larimer County voter precincts, and because some precincts must remain in their current ward because a councilor lives there, we're limited in how ward boundaries can be drawn. When it comes to Ward 4, both Larimer County precincts 4155135401 and 4155135404 must remain in Ward 4 (and precinct 4155135401 is the largest precinct in terms of space within our City limits). You can take a look at Larimer County voter precincts here.

    Here's more info on why the City is divided into four wards and how that can be changed.

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    [The following question was initially shared on Facebook by Gail B.] Pardon my question. My ignorance of this action may be showing. But...here it goes...Will this affect property taxes?

    about 1 year ago

    Hi, Gail! The redistricting process will not directly affect taxation 🙂

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    Two questions: 1: Do you have demographic (race, sex, income, etc) data for each proposal? 2: What are the pros/cons of keeping the DDA in each Ward?

    Glen asked over 1 year ago

    Hi Glen, thanks for your question! To remain as unbiased as possible, we did not use any additional demographic information to develop the options. The considerations we used included:

    1. Ensuring only one ward was included per Larimer County precinct.
    2. Ensuring that existing Councilmembers stay in their respective wards (City Charter requirement).
    3. Ensuring that wards are as compact and contiguous as possible.
    4. Ensuring that we watch for and align with natural breaks (major roadways, rivers/lakes, neighborhoods) to the degree possible.
    5. Ensuring that the population deviation was no more than 5% between the highest and lowest wards.


    You may also be interested to know that demographic data is held at the US Census Block level, and Larimer County did not use US Census Block data or demographic data to create their updated voting precinct boundaries.

    Keeping the DDA in each ward was a consideration developed by City staff, and we were made aware during a study session that this was not as important to Council as we thought it might be. We are leaving these options presented in the mix; however, we now know that it is not a critical element for additional options that may be developed. We don't currently have any pro or cons developed for this option.

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    Hello! I was curious if there were any plans to incorporate the neighborhoods north of 57th street into the city limits? Currently we are considered part of the county, but not the city, however I think there are benefits to both parties by examining this. Thanks! Cara

    caraburn asked over 1 year ago

    Hi, Cara! Thanks for the question! Some areas in and around 57th Street are within the City of Loveland's Growth Management Area (GMA). See the current GMA map here: https://www.lovgov.org/services/development-services/community-strategic-planning/larimer-county-loveland-gma-overlay-zoning-district

    Future City growth is something we consider when looking at ward boundaries, so if you are within the City’s current GMA, we encourage you to stay informed.

    If you are interested in a bit of history, Loveland's GMA was adopted to make sure our City planners can accommodate the needs of the community by ensuring that we can provide appropriate infrastructure such as roads and utilities, and services like trash/recycling service, to meet the needs of new residents and businesses. Plus, it allows us to better plan for natural areas and open spaces. 

    1. If the property is included in the City’s GMA, it needs to be contiguous to the City (meaning that it needs to share 1/6th percent of the common border with current City Limits), and the use of the land must be compatible with the City’s Future Land Use Map.
    2. If the property is not within the adjacent and respective City GMA, annexation won’t be possible as it may be within another municipal GMA boundary.


    We would be happy to look more into this for you! Can you please reach out to OCE@cityofloveland.org and share specifics on the area you're referencing? We’ll loop in our Development Services department to get to the bottom of this.

    Thanks for your question!

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    [The following question was initially shared on Nextdoor by Al R.] What is the City Clerk's office doing to insure that gerrymandering of wards does not occur?

    over 1 year ago

    Hi there! Great question. City staff came up with two options that were initially presented to City Council at a meeting on October 25, 2022, and two additional options were developed by City staff based on the feedback we received from Council Members at that meeting, All of the options are available online.

    We have not received any options developed by Councilors directly, and we're encouraging individuals to submit their own options. There are tools to help with this on the City’s Let’s Talk Loveland website: LetsTalkLoveland.org/Redistricting. Staff is also available to help make sure these options meet all necessary criteria and, if they do, we would then offer these as additional options in our final presentation to Council.

    Please let us know if we can help with anything else!

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    At what population point does the city add district s? Keeping only four districts limits representation.

    MCrystal asked over 1 year ago

    Hi, thanks for your question! The City of Loveland Charter (Section 6-4) requires that the City be divided into four wards, and the only way to change the Charter is through a vote of the people. This can be done one of two ways:

    1. Through citizen initiative, which is a formal petition process to add an item to an upcoming ballot (additional info is also available in the City Charter under Article 7);
    2. Or, by City Council adopting an ordinance to amend the number of wards and submitting the proposed amendment to a vote of the registered electors.


    The City Clerk's office can tell you more about the citizen initiative process if you're interested (find their contact info here). Hope that helps!

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    All four options made mention of whether or not the wards had a piece of the downtown area. Why was this important? (or not important?)

    MartinNielsen asked over 1 year ago

    Hey, there! That's a great question. This was a consideration developed by City staff, and we were made aware during a study session that this was not as important to Council as we thought it might be. We are leaving these options presented in the mix; however, we now know that it is not a critical element for additional options that may be developed. All viable options developed by staff and/or individuals will be presented to Council.