Dallas County is nearing approval of a plan to divide the county up into districts as it prepares to welcome two additional elected officials to the Board of Supervisors.
The temporary redistricting commission will present its proposed new districts at a public hearing July 22. That will be a chance for any proponents and opponents of the plan to speak on the county’s proposal for how it will add two seats to the Board of Supervisors to reflect the Des Moines metro’s rapid westward growth into Dallas County.
Why is Dallas County redistricting itself?
Almost 67% of voters in the November 2024 election approved a proposal from mayors of Dallas County cities that the Board of Supervisors should expand to five members from its current three due to the county’s booming population.
The three-member temporary redistricting commission was tasked with looking at how the county’s population has changed and draw up a plan to divvy it up for equal representation. Commission members were Supervisor Julia Helm, a Republican; Bridget Carberry Montgomery, an Urbandale City Council member selected by the Dallas County Democrats; and county resident Monte Button.
What plan has the redistricting commission drafted?
The commission came up with five districts that each represent more than 21,000 people. The three current supervisors each represent more than 38,000 people, based on the county’s estimated population as of July 1, 2024.
Proposed districts are:
More information, including an interactive map to show residents what proposed new district their home would be in, is available at dallascountyiowa.gov/668/Redistricting-Information.
When will the redistricting plan be voted on?
The temporary redistricting commission is scheduled to vote on the proposed plan at a 7 p.m. public hearing July 22 in room 1026 of the Dallas County Administrative Building, 800 Court St. in Adel.
Written comments on the proposal can be submitted to Helm via email at julia.helm@dallascountyiowa.gov.
After the commission’s vote, the plan would still need the approval of the Board of Supervisors and state.
Voters will elect new supervisors to the board in 2026. Even though the five members will represent districts, they will, for now, continue to be elected at-large.
Phillip Sitter covers the suburbs for the Des Moines Register. Phillip can be reached via email at psitter@gannett.com. Find out more about him online in the Register’s staff directory.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: How Dallas County could be redistricted under plan to bring on 2 more elected supervisors
Reporting by Phillip Sitter, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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