As Walker County prepares to switch its form of government from a sole commissioner to a five-person board, officials are starting the task of preparing residents for the change.
Nearly 40,000 residents will soon receive an informational mailing from the Walker County Elections Office identifying their new voting precinct. The county’s first board of commissioners will be elected in November 2020 and will consist of one full-time chairperson and one part-time member from each of the districts.
Following residents’ vote in support of the new model in 2018, the state of Georgia’s Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Office redrew the four districts – Rossville, Chickamauga, LaFayette and Lookout Mountain – attempting to make the population of each equal, according to a spokesperson from the local elections office.
The precinct cards being mailed also identify each voter’s congressional, Senate, House and judicial districts, as well as where they can vote. Walker County Commissioner Shannon Whitfield allocated $15,447.60 toward postage for these cards at the routine commissioner’s meeting on Sept. 24.
It was only the second amendment to the 2019 budget, which ended Sept. 30.