News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Two new Commissioner seats will be added in Van Buren County, bringing the future total to 12.
Commissioners approved forming a redistricting committee Tuesday night including five appointments from Mayor Greg Wilson.
Wilson said the county’s population now stands near 6,000.
“I’ve talked extensively with Mr. Wayne Simons, also about the redistricting,” Wilson said. “And in that it also has… Now this does not mean you have to change boundaries, okay. That is what this committee is to decide.”
Wilson said the committee could simply add another two commissioners into existing districts, as long as there’s one commissioner per 500 residents. Wilson said this is based on the census population within districts, not on the number of registered voters.
He said the 2nd and 4th districts have seen the largest population increase since the last redistricting, 10 years ago.
“That does not mean the other districts may or may not be affected because that’s a good possibility,” Wilson said. “I don’t know yet and nobody knows yet until you get in there and get to looking at it.”
Mayor Greg Wilson appointed Election Administrator Wayne Simons and commissioners Henry Seamons, Terry Hickey, Will Maxwell and Joey Grissom. Wilson said he agreed with the state recommendation to include the county’s Election Administrator on the committee.
