580 NATIONAL CIVIC REVIEW [November

Citizen Action . . Kim T a y l o ~ , Editor

University Aids in Reapportioning ,

Students and Faculty Produce Oregon Maps

S T U D E N T S and faculty in the Uni- versity of Oregon’s geography de-

partment provided valuable help to Secretary of State Clay Myers in reap- portioning the state’s legislative districts. When the 1971 legislature failed to reach an agreement on reapportionment, it charged the secretary of state with the task. Myers first had to determine each district’s exact population. This called for accurate maps and figures, on the smallest possible scale, so that district boundaries could be adjusted to meet the federal population equality requirement.

Meanwhile, according to the Eugene Register-Guard, the geography depart- ment faculty at the University of Oregon decided that student projects for the term were to draw demographic maps of the state. They used old maps and 1970 cen- sus figures, but their progress was slow. The U. S. Census Bureau uses five geo- graphic districts to count population. The districts all overlapped, so that determin- ing the population of single areas was almost impossible, and mistakes were dis- covered in the bureau’s counting. As numerical corrections were received from the bureau the maps on the drawing board had to be revised. Since original maps were in very poor condition, the students had little guidance in drawing up new demographic areas.

By this time the semester ended and the projects were far from completed. The mapping was seriously adopted by a few advanced students and faculty. The University’s Bureau of Governmental Research and Service acquired some

better maps and the two departments joined forces to complete the project. Toward the end of the second term one faculty member went to Secretary Myers to suggest that he use the students’ maps to guide state reapportionment. After a visit to the campus and project head- quarters, where substantial progress was being made in sorting out the overlapping boundaries and populations, he agreed.

The final push began to finish the project before the legislature adjourned and the semester ended. Students and faculty worked around the clock for a week. Their final triumph was six maps showing enumeration districts and census tracts, each with population figures. The maps spread out over 57 square feet so that the secretary of state will be able to determine accurately the exact number of people in every area of the state, eliminating the need or possibility of guess-work in establishing new district lines.

National Urban Coalition Joins Environmental Suit

The Suffolk County Defenders of the Environment have an ally in their suit to invalidate the county’s zoning and land use ordinances and charter provisions. The National Urban Coalition is protest- ing that these practices prevent low- and moderate-income families from settling in Suffolk communities. The environ- mentalists claim that the policies con- tribute directly to haphazard development and waste the area’s land and water re- sources. Both contend that wise regional planning to protect the natural environ- ment and provide for community develop- ment are impossible under the existing laws.

The National Urban League has se- lected Suffolk County in its first attempt

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to join witri environmental groups across the country in contesting zoning laws and patterns of land use control, accord- ing to the Wall Street Journal. The coalition wants to guarantee that pre- serving the environment is not the only legal argument considered and that exclu- sionary trends existing in many commu- nities are not strengthened by court ac- tions. The group is reportedly prepared to back this case and its argument to the Supreme Court. Since the court has not ruled on zoning laws since the 192Os, its decision is expected to be of national significance.

Tennessee Citizens’ Complaint Brings Higher Assessment

The Tennessee board of tax equaliza- tion has declared its determination to see that coal, mineral and timber values are incorporated in computations of tax assessments of privately owned land. The move came in response to complaints of 13 citizens from the Appalachian counties of Anderson, Claiborne, Campbell, Mor- gan and Scott, which stated that local tax assessors ignore coal deposits in determining the value of mining proper- ties and tax them as if they were vacant woodland. The New York Times reports that the complaint resulted from a study conducted during the summer by three students a t Vanderbilt University as- sisted by a political science professor.

The study showed that 6 million tons of coal are shipped out of the counties annually from lands owned by mining companies which keep offices elsewhere. It was pointed out that coal mining firms own about one-third of the land in the counties and contribute very little to local government coffers. The attorney for the 13 complainants charged that the underassessment forces other property owners to bear a disproportionate share of local government costs in the five- county area. The study estimated that

some $350,000 in annual taxes are lost because of the underassessment.

The board of tax equalization acted quickly to declare its intention to correct the imbalance and is working on a for- mula to tax such properties more ade- quately. The attorney for the complaining landowners expressed the fear that higher assessments would accelerate strip mining and cause great devastation in the area.

w. w. Urban Coalition Studies Central City Conditions

The National Urban Coalition’s Com- mission on the Cities reported that, if present trends in large central cities continue, “most cities by 1980 will be preponderantly black and brown and totally bankrupt.” The commission was headed by Mayor John V. Lindsay of New York City and Senator Fred A. Harris of Idaho. The report focused on the conditions cited in the 1968 report of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders (Kerner Commission), finding generally that all the inflam- matory conditions then existing in core city areas had worsened: “Housing is still the national scandal it was then. Schools are more tedious and turbulent. The rates of crime and unemployment and disease are higher. Welfare rolls are larger and, with few exceptions, the relations be- tween minority communities and the police are just as hostile.”

One optimistic trend was found in the investigations of Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Newark and El Paso. Some citizens had channeled their anger into grass roots, self-help organizations, enough of them so that growth had been observed. The positive action of these groups was credited for the reduction in intensity of urban rioting. Another source of less intense rioting is that community

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586 NATIONAL CIVIC REVIEW [November

Mr. Haag suggests that some general guidelines governing the official actions of a council should be included in a charter. Warning against dwelling ex- cessively on procedure, it is recommended that the time and regular place of meet- ings, special meetings, the extent to which meetings are required to be public, voting and quorum requirements, and ordinance procedure and codification be the subject of careful consideration.

One chapter deals briefly with the method of selecting the presiding officer and the poivers of his office. The reader quickly notes the great variation, which depends on the form of municipal gov- ernment. In mayor-council types, the elected mayor may have a deciding vote and usually has a veto power. In council- manager and commission forms of gov-

CITIZEN

ernment the council chairman is gener- ally elected by and from the council, has his “full vote and no veto.”

The final chapter is an exposition of the traditional citizen safeguards against arbitrary acts or negligence on the part of representatives. These include the ini- tiative, referendum and recall. The first two are viewed as forms of direct legis- lation to supplement or supplant council action; the recall is a device which may be employed in some governmental units to remove a mayor, councilman, school committeeman or other elected official.

In addition to a one-page summary, Mr. Haag has included a dozen pages of appendices based on a survey of Maine municipal charters conducted during 1969 and 1970.

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leaders are trying to preserve areas under their control.

The coalition backs implementation of the recommendations in the Kerner Commission report and does not offer any newer recommendations.

w. w. Phoenix Youth Involved in Local Maire

Two projects have been initiated in Phoenix to increase the involvement of youth in the affairs of the city, accord- ing to local papers. The city council has decided to establish a permanent com- mission on youth to advise local govern- ment officials on specific programs and recommend use of city resources to serve young people. The mayor will ap- point the 15 commission members, eight of whom will be between the ages of 15 and 22.

In addition to this new governmental unit, Phoenix area youth are served by

an activity “hot line.” Operated by the Phoenix parks and recreation commission and financed by the Biltmore Lions Club, data on activities are taped each day. Twenty-one local school districts provide after-school space so that park-sponsored cultural events are possible throughout the year. The tape announces events at the Arizona State University, the com- munity college, local high schools, neigh- boring cities and recreation areas.

Citizenship Awards Program T h e Freedoms Foundation a t Valley

Forge has announced its annual awards program, for writing, speeches or activi- ties which contribute to a better under- standing of our democratic philosophy. In the past individuals, service organiza- tions and corporations have received na- tional acclaim for their achievements. The categories for consideration include students, teachers, ministers, journalists, community leaders and film makers.