The Story County Board of Supervisors voted on Jan. 6 to reject the Legislative Service Agency's (LSA) first supervisor redistricting plan and requested the agency prepare a second plan for county consideration.

Auditor Lucy Martin, who served as staff to the temporary county redistricting commission, told the board the commission approved the draft plan but that the county had only one option to review. "I think mathematically LSA did come up with a map that has the least variance between districts," Martin said, but she recommended the board consider asking for an additional map to compare trade-offs such as district compactness and the number of precinct splits.

During discussion supervisors and commission members emphasized three concerns as reasons to seek a second plan: creating more compact supervisor districts if possible, limiting the number of precinct splits to reduce voter confusion and minimizing administrative burdens on election staff.

One supervisor moved to "reject the first plan, and request a second plan" and read a written reason that included seeking maps with "more compact districts, limit the number of splits in precincts, and reduce voter confusion." The motion was seconded and approved by roll call.

Martin noted that rejecting plan 1 does not permanently discard it; the county may accept plan 1 later if it prefers. She also advised the board that the redistricting code requires a written rejection and that timing for a second plan depends on the state's process; historical examples suggest a turnaround of weeks, though the exact schedule is controlled by the state.

The board did not adopt an alternate county map at the meeting; members asked staff to follow up with LSA about when additional maps or clarifications might be available.