Board approves resolution to expand to five census-based zones and adopts two-term limit for upcoming seats

The Lebanon Special School District board voted to adopt a resolution to expand the board to five zones and to use decennial census blocks to define those zones, and the board agreed to a two-term limit for the newly added seats.

A board member described the proposed zoning method as census-block-based and said the election commission advised that defining zones by the U.S. census blocks would allow periodic adjustments every 10 years without additional cost. “If we do that and we base it off of that census, that would allow it to go ahead and as it changes and grows,” the board member said, describing alignment with city and county practice.

The resolution directs that the five zones be drawn to create geographically equal districts (using census data) and establishes an initial staggered rotation so that some seats carry an initial two-year term and others carry four-year terms to create a staggered election cycle. The motion to adopt the resolution on zoning and term arrangements passed by voice vote in the meeting transcript.

Separately, the board debated and then adopted a two-term limit for board members in the expanded configuration. One board member stated, “I would make a motion to win with saying 2 term limits, on the board expansion,” and another member noted agreement, saying they would personally commit to the limit if it were adopted. The assembly approved the two-term-limit motion by voice vote; no roll-call counts were recorded in the transcript.

Staff said the district attorney/board attorney and county GIS resources will work to produce the zone maps using census blocks and that staff will draft the formal resolution language for submission to the legislature to amend the private act that governs the district, as needed.