Redrawn election precincts finalized by board

The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors finalized its redrawn election precincts at the March 8 meeting.
A public hearing was held to allow for constituents to voice any concerns about the proposed precincts. No oral or written comments were received. The precincts were redrawn with slight changes after the initial precinct map, approved by the supervisors in December, 2021 was rejected in the legislature.
County Auditor Stephanie Burke said the slight modifications were deemed appropriate at the statehouse.
“We do have final approval from the Legislative Services Agency, and the Secretary of State has redrawn the supervisors districts, and the new ordinance for our election precincts corresponds, and we are finally ready to go,” Burke said.
The newly-redrawn map can be found online at montgomerycountyia.gov/auditors-office/election-voting-central/. Burke highlighted the minor changes required for approval.
“Precinct seven and five did change, but the supervisors district did not, only the precinct lines. As far as population-wise for each district, there were no changes. We did this mainly for voter’s convenience, in regards to polling place locations, which is yet to come,” Burke said.
Supervisors Chair Mark Peterson asked if that meant that the voters of precinct five would not be voting in Grant. Burke said that detail was yet to be determined.
The supervisors approved the first reading of the ordinance establishing election precinct boundaries, and approved waiving the second and third readings so the ordinance could be adopted.
“It’s kind of important to get this finalized as quickly as we can, because those of us that are running for re-election in 2022 need to know what our boundaries are,” Peterson explained.
Supervisor Donna Robinson was in agreement, and said it had been announced they were having a public hearing March 8, and no comments were received.
The supervisors then proceeded to approval of a resolution approving the Legislative Services Agency’s redistricting plan and report. The resolution was approved, and the five supervisors districts were adopted.
The final election-related business on the agenda was to approve an amended agreement between Montgomery County and the City of Red Oak for the combining of election precincts.
“We had to amend the agreement because the first proposed map did not pass, and thus, the first agreement we approved is no longer valid. This agreement will combine the unincorporated territories, and portions of the city in precincts one, two, and three, as those precincts involve portions of the city of Red Oak. Once this is approved, it will be submitted to the Red Oak City Council for approval,” advised Burke.
The supervisors approved the amended agreement between Montgomery County and the City of Red Oak for the combining of election precincts.
In other business, the supervisors:
• Approved an actuarial services agreement between SilverStone Group, LLC, and Montgomery County.
• Approved the recorder’s report of fees for February 2022 in the amount of $14,164.
• Approved the sheriff’s report of fees for February 2022 in the amount of $44,482.
• Approved the treasurer’s ending fund balance for February 2022 in the amount of $11,056,073.
• Approved a tax transfer from rural services basic to secondary roads, in the amount of $40,822.
• Approved a tax transfer from general services basic to secondary roads, in the amount of $2,347.