The members of the Richmond County Ad Hoc Redistricting Committee reviewed the drafted state rezoning map released Oct. 5 by the Georgia Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Office in Atlanta.
The committee, made up of representatives from the Augusta Commission, Richmond County Board of Education and members of the legislative delegation, was joined by two new members. District 4 Commissioner Alvin Mason and District 9 Commissioner Francine Scott replaced Sammie Sias and Jordan Johnson, respectively.
Elections Director Lynn Bailey walked committee members through some of the most significant changes reflected in the draft map. She said Richmond County’s population grew by about 3%, according to the 2020 census numbers. However, the numbers show tremendous growth in District 3.
Driven by new residents moving in near Fort Gordon and neighboring Columbia County, District 3’s population grew by 21% and is now 31,316, Bailey said.
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“The growth we’ve seen there, in my opinion, will fairly well drive the whole redistricting process,” said Bailey. “When you have an area like Richmond County, whose total growth was only 3%, and 21% growth was just in that one district, it will have a big impact to take that many people out of District 3 and distribute them through the rest of the city.”
For example, the draft map divides up the district’s precinct 307. A portion will remain in District 3, a section will move to District 1 and another portion to District 2. Among the neighborhoods proposed to shift is Summerville. It will move into District 2. Overall, the draft reduces District 3’s population to 25,804 residents.
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Catherine Smith McKnight represents Commission District 3. The school trustee for that area is Walter Eubanks.
Bailey said the state redistricting office used the “Guiding Principles” that the ad hoc committee adopted to July to draw up this version of the map.
“Those are guidelines like your desire to keep the core of the commission district together, your desire not to pair incumbents, your desire to minimize splitting neighborhoods and to minimize splitting precincts,” she explained. “However, in the draft plan, there are four additional neighborhoods that were split as a result of the draft plan and there were nine or 10 precincts that were split, as well.”
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Bailey explained the ad hoc committee can now begin to revise the map as long as the changes stay within a 5% plus or minus population breakdown.
“If keeping neighborhoods together is important and keeping communities of interest is important to this group, then I think we can start moving things around. Perhaps we’ll end up with districts that are more 1% or 1½% plus or minus the ideal district size as long as we have justification to do it,” said Bailey.
Committee members were updated on the webpage set up for citizens to follow the redistricting process. It’s been in operation for about a month. It includes an upcoming calendar of events and a citizens input portal to receive suggestions from the public.
Upcoming events will include a series of public hearings set in various locations around the county. The board voted to have three public hearings and the option for one alternate. Dates and locations have not been finalized yet.
Committee chairman Sean Frantom said the goal is to have everything completed and the final map submitted to the state legislature by mid-December. The legislature is not expected to vote on the final map until the 2022 legislative session opens.
The next meeting of the ad hoc committee will be Oct. 13, starting at 6 p.m. in commission chambers.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a Staff Reporter with The Augusta Press. You can reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com
