Northern Wyoming News - Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years

WORLAND — The Big Horn Basin Redistricting Working Group will be holding a meeting on Thursday, Nov. 18 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Worland Community Center Complex.

County clerks from Washakie, Park, Big Horn and Hot Springs counties have been working since October on redistricting plans for the House and Senate district in the Big Horn Basin region.

Washakie County Clerk Mary Grace Strauch said they have also included Fremont County in the discussions as one proposal does impact the Fremont County districts. She said as they were working on the maps they coordinated their efforts with local legislators from the counties.

Strauch said a staff member from the Legislative Service Office will preside over the meeting, first informing the audience about the redistricting requirements and why redistricting is necessary.

The two proposed maps for the districts in the Big Horn Basin will then be presented and there will be a time for questions, Strauch said.

Following the meeting, the preferred plan will be forwarded to the Legislative Service Office on Friday, Nov. 19, and then it will be reviewed by the Joint Corporations Committee at their meeting Dec. 1-2.

Redistricting maps will be approved during the Wyoming Legislature in February.

Strauch said they have two plans that will be shared Thursday, one they call the Minus 6% Plan and one called the Valley Plan. She said the Valley Plan is probably not feasible as it takes more population from Fremont Court in the Missouri Valley, which then takes away too much minority population out of Fremont County.

The Minus 6% Plan is a problem because by state statute districts are not to differ in population by more than 5%.