A public hearing on the proposed redistricting of the 26-member Kane County Board is expected to be held during the last week of May, according to county board member Catherine Hurlbut, chairman of a special task force appointed last month to make recommendations to the County Board relative to the decennial redistricting.
The seven-member task force, appointed by county board Chairman Karen McConnaughay, held its first meeting March 15. By state statute, a redistricting plan must be approved by the county board no later than July 1 (55 ILCS 5/2-3002). Among other things, with redistricting the population of each district must be apportioned as equally as possible.
Although at least one public hearing on a recommended redistricting proposal will be scheduled and another could be called at the request of task force members, said Hurlbut. All task force meetings are open to the public and participation in the redistricting process is encouraged, she said.
The most current information on county board redistricting activity is available via the Internet by linking to the redistricting task force on the Kane County web site, under "Documents." Click on "Meetings, Agendas & Minutes." http://countyofkane.org/Pages/currentCommittees.aspx
In appointing the task force, McConnaughay said she was careful to consider the longevity of the various board members as well as their geographic and political representation. In addition to Hurlbut, of Elgin, other Republicans named to the task force are James C. Mitchell, Jr., of North Aurora, John Hoscheit, of St. Charles and Drew Frasz, of Elburn along with Democrats Hollie Lindgren, of Carpentersville, Jesse Vazquez, of Montgomery and Ron Ford, of Aurora. The chairmen of Kane County's two major political parties, Democrat Mark Guethle and Republican Michael Kenyon, as well as the Kane County Clerk Jack Cunningham and Aurora Election Commission Chairman Michael McCoy, were appointed to the task force in an advisory capacity.
"If you do your job right, nobody is going to be totally happy with you," McConnaughay told the task force.
In a March 8 memorandum to county board members as well as in remarks she made to the task force, McConnaughay suggested they consider cutting the size of the 26-menber county board to 24 or 22 members, beginning with the 2012 elections, when the entire board must stand for election. Although the county's current population is 515,269, according to U.S. Census Bureau 2010 figures - the final figures will not be certified until May 1 - state statute mandates that Illinois counties of between 800,000 and 3,000,000 people have boards comprised of no more than 18 members.
McConnaughay said she believes Kane County will cross the 800,000 population threshold "within the next two census cycles." She suggested that an incremental reduction in board size constituted "a strategy for getting there gradually."
Among other things, the task force was scheduled to consider the issue of board size at its March 29 meeting.
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