Plan goes forward to re-district Oconee

After a presentation at this week’s meeting, Oconee County leaders have a plan going forward to re-draw the county’s five districts that determine county council and school board representation.  Every ten years re-districting is required based on the latest population census. The goal is to map districts whose individual populations are as close to the principle of one man, one vote as practical. In a Zoom hookup from Columbia, Frank Rainwater of the state’s Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office predicted that Oconee County will face little difficulty in meeting the standard, although several hundreds of county residents will have to be moved from one district to another.  Before the council passed a resolution to develop the 2020 re-districting plan, the floor was open for public comment.  Janie Shipley, long-time official of the League of Women Voters, urged the five council members to resist any temptation to re-draw the district in a way that protects the hold that they have on their offices or in any way that favors one political party over another.  All five county councilmen are Republicans.