The Douglas County Board rejected a resolution forwarded by Price County seeking the repeal of a 2005 law that gives voters a say in the size of the County Board.
The state law allows Douglas County voters a chance to eliminate three-fourths of the board. That decision will be made in an April referendum. Board Chairman Doug Finn believes the state law should be modified but not repealed.
The law allows county boards to change the size of their membership between U.S. Census-driven redistricting, which occurs every 10 years. It also allows people to petition for a referendum to change the size of the board with signatures of 25 percent of the number of people who cast a ballot in the previous county supervisor election.
In Douglas County, Superior businessman Daryl Helenius needed 673 signatures of eligible voters to place the issue on the spring ballot.
Supervisor Carol Johnson said she doesn't understand why Helenius wants the board reduced to seven members. She led a study group last year to determine if the county should reduce the size of its board and change the way county government is administered. The group of residents, business leaders and county officials determined the board should be reduced but only after the next U.S. Census, when the county would normally go through the public redistricting process.
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Few people took part in the last redistricting process, which eliminated two County Board seats.
