Map error troubles Menifee resident - population: At least one subdivision was incorrectly documented in a kit being used to help draw districts.

By JULISSA MCKINNON

July 11, 2009

When John Smelser studied a population map that a city-hired consultant asked Menifee residents to draw their ideal election-district boundaries on, he realized that the map showed zero people living in his neck of a Romoland subdivision.

The map had chopped the city of about 68,000 into dozens of little boxes, each with that area's respective headcount. Smelser's corresponding box logged a total population of zero for his half of the recently built Heritage Lakes development.

"I know I live there, and my wife, and we have neighbors, too," Smelser, a 67-year-old former accounting manager, said half-jokingly Tuesday after reporting the map's discrepancy to the Menifee City Council.

The maps are part of a "public participation kit" that the city and consultant Douglas Johnson are using to solicit public input on how to carve election districts for the recently incorporated city. Since Smelser raised his questions, the city has corrected the map on its Web site by combining Smelser's population box with a neighboring box tallying 1,160 people.

But Smelser said Tuesday that his concern extends beyond his own backyard:

"If it's faulty for me it could be faulty anywhere," he said. "I don't want my neighborhood split, with one side of McCall having a different council member than the other side of McCall all because they can't draw a map."

What Smelser found most troubling is that, according to state law, the main criteria for creating election districts is achieving an equal distribution of population among the districts.

Johnson said Friday that while individual boxes within the map may contain incorrect headcounts, overall the map gives an accurate population picture of Menifee.

Johnson is one of a few consultants from National Demographics Corporation, the Glendale-based company that the city is paying $38,000 to research the ins and outs of forging election districts. Last June voters chose by a narrow margin to elect future council members from five city districts rather than from the city at large.

Johnson said he and his fellow consultants rely on the most recent population estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau and county records of recent developments to compile their maps. What likely caused the Heritage Lakes problem is that sometimes county records lump the population of newer developments into one parcel rather than spreading it across all of the neighborhood's parcels.

"The numbers are right but sometimes they get assigned to the wrong parcels, they get assigned to a neighboring parcel," said Johnson. "As long as the parcels end up in the same district there's no impact at all."

But Johnson said deviations in population among the boxes could potentially change where a district boundary falls.

Johnson added that Smelser's astute observation is a perfect example of why the firm seeks public input. With 200-plus citizens scrutinizing the maps, it increases the chances that any errors will be found and corrected before the districts get drawn, Johnson said.

He added that the turnout at Menifee's districting meetings exceeds the level of public interest he's seen at about 30 other districting projects he's worked. By the end of business Friday, citizens had turned in 15 districting maps.

Due to the high participation, the city extended the original July 10 map deadline to noon Tuesday to ensure that everyone can contribute, said City Manager George Wentz.

The districting kits are available at the city's Web site www.cityofmenifee.us or can be picked up at City Hall, 29714 Haun Road.