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Madison County chairman presents 25-district map; residents and board members raise gerrymandering, workload and pay concerns
Summary
At a May 18 public hearing, Madison County Board Chairman Kurt Prenzler presented a proposed 25-district redistricting map drawn by University of Illinois Springfield; speakers debated alleged gerrymandering, the effect on representation (notably the Village of Godfrey), committee workload and whether pay would change if membership drops from 29 to 25.
MADISON COUNTY, Ill. — Chairman Kurt Prenzler on Tuesday presented a proposed 25-district map for the Madison County Board and invited public comment, sparking a debate over representation, committee workloads and whether any reduction would save taxpayers money.
Prenzler told the board the county contracted with the University of Illinois Springfield to draw a single 25-seat map under a limited budget and that the contract instructed the mapmaker to avoid bias ("with the exception of minority neighborhoods that they would not be diluted"), follow Illinois law on equal population, favor compactness and respect municipal and precinct lines where feasible. "This is strictly a public hearing, as required by state law," Prenzler said when opening the session.
Why it matters: The map would reduce the board from 29 to 25 members, changing the size and boundaries of many districts. Several seated members and residents said that could make districts harder to represent, raise…
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