Redistricting Discussed at Stearns County Board Meeting

(KNSI) — The Stearns County Board of Commissioners met Tuesday morning, with redistricting being the signature item on the agenda, according to Supervisor Mike Williams. At the beginning of the session, there were eight potential maps and that was winnowed down to three. The final selection is due by the end of April. It may come sooner than that, perhaps as early as the 12th, following a scheduled public hearing.

Williams says the change will be significant enough to cause voters to have to go to the polls later this year.

“There’s enough difference, that in every scenario we are going to have all commissioners up for relection, I think. So there’s that much of a difference,” says Williams.

There are several requirements placed on the body as it draws new maps. The one which takes top priority is an emphasis on roughly equal population size. The district with the fewest number of people and the one with the most can vary by no more than 10%.

Williams says parts of the county have changed significantly, forcing a new look for the Board of Commissioners map.

He says, “The district that encompasses Sartell, and then into the rural area there, has grown so much that geographically that’s going to get significantly smaller.”

The overall meeting stretched over three hours. Williams says several annual reports from different county departments were heard, which contributed to the overall length of the gathering.

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KNSI News Reporter Grant Dossetto contributed to this story.

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