County Board to Hold a Public Hearing for Redistricting Plans

The Rice County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing at 9:30 a.m. on April 10 at the Rice County Government Services Building, 320 3rd Street NW, Faribault, for the purpose of considering preliminary plans for the redistricting of Rice County Commissioner Districts.

A copy of the preliminary plans with all attachments and supporting documentation shall be available for public inspection in the County Auditor/Treasurer's Office during normal business hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Worksheets and plans submitted for consideration will also be made available on the Rice County website at www.co.rice.mn.us. Any citizen intending to submit a plan for consideration must do so no later than the date and time of the public hearing.

Parties interested in submitting a plan should complete the attached 2012 Redistricting Worksheet and identify by color or number each precinct to be included in each of the five commissioner districts. Supporting documentation should also be submitted. Proposed plans must also adhere to the factors described below in accordance with Minnesota Statute 375.025 subd.1.

• Each County shall be divided into as many districts numbered consecutively as it has members of the County Board. 
• Commissioner Districts shall be bounded by town, municipal, ward or precinct lines.
• Each district shall be composed of contiguous territory.
• Each district shall be as regular and compact in form as practicable, depending upon geography of the County involved.
• Each district shall be as nearly equal in population as possible.
• No district shall vary in population more than ten percent from the average for all districts in the county, unless the result forces a voting precinct to be split.
• A majority of the least populous districts shall contain not less than a majority of the population of the County. 

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