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Redistricting hearing set for May 22By MaryHelen Swanson On a vote of 4-1, the county commissioners agreed to hold a public hearing on choosing a redistricting plan at 11 a.m., Wednesday, May 22. Commissioner Tom Delaney opposed the motion saying itís a decision made only once in 10 years and the public hearing should be held at night so more people could attend. A choice must be made by May 28. The commissioners had 12 options from which to chose at last weekís board meeting, four were eliminated at the onset of their discussion when it was learned that the night before Wyoming Township chose not to be split. With eight options still on the table and five commissioners with opinions, it came down to a process of elimination. First, each commissioner chose three, and then two. Early in the discussion, Commissioner Bob Vande Kamp told the board that he had talked with North Branch officials who would like to have the city divided into two commissioner districts at the Hwy. 95 line - north and south. Vande Kamp felt this was an important item to keep in mind as they chose options. Because Vande Kamp made note of this several times, Commissioner Delaney became irritated saying who cares what the people of North Branch want. At this point, Commissioner Vande Kamp became a bit irritated, also. As it turns out, both of the chosen options spit the city of North Branch. Commissioner Tom Delaney attempted to cool things down by saying he never said it wasnít a good idea to split North Branch. He said their wishes just shouldnít play a part. The county redistricting is done every 10 years following the census. Criteria for setting the boundaries include population (each district must contain an average of 8,220 people plus or minus 10 percent), whether the township, cities or precincts within a district are contiguous and whether each district is as compact as possible. The board has tentatively settled on Options C and D, which at first glance appear quite similar. Option C keeps the cities of Chisago, Center City and Lindstrom together which Commissioner Ben Montzka felt was important. Others agreed with him. Commissioner Mike Robinson pointed out that most of the people at the public hearing will probably be from the southern part of the county. He said it shouldnít be up to the people to decide what option will be chosen. That, he felt, is the commissionerís responsibility. Commissioner Montzka felt Option C was more legal and more compact. County Administrator Jim Thoreen had reminded them that compactness was more a matter of ìartî than science and he noted that the auditor had drawn up the maps following the first two criteria. When a redistricting map is chosen, the board will have to decide on numbers for the new districts and which districts will have to have elections. ©ECM Post Review |