Commissioners reapportion districts based on new boundaries

Oct. 26—Muskogee County commissioners adopted a resolution on Monday, reapportioning their districts to reflect population shifts that have occurred during the past decade.

Census data collected in 2020 show the county lost 4.2% of its population since the 2010 Census, when the decennial event recorded 70,997 residents in Muskogee County. The 2020 Census shows the county's population dropped to 67,997 during the past decade.

The reapportioned districts are based upon proposed boundaries the commissioners said were redrawn by agreement and in accordance with rules. State law requires county commissioners to reapportion districts every 10 years following the official publication of census data "into three compact districts as equal in population as practicable."

State law requires the boundary lines "follow clearly visible, definable and observable physical boundaries." A variance in population of up to 5% among the three districts is allowed by state and federal laws.

District 1 Commissioner Ken Doke said the proposed boundaries were drawn using the same software state lawmakers are using this year to redraw legislative and congressional districts. He said the lines were adjusted primarily to adjust for population.

Updates also were proposed to address logistical issues that are expected to improve efficiencies for commissioners. Doke used as an example a portion of District 2 located south of Braggs and east of McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System.

"They have to bring a road grader all the way over the bridge into Gore just to get over there around Webbers Falls Lock and Dam area on the other side of the river," Doke said. "We're already in Braggs, so we thought it would make it easier if everything on that side of the river was taken into District 1."

District 3 Commissioner Kenny Payne said similar locations exist within his district. He said a small area that extends east from the river to the casino near Fort Gibson would become part of District 1 as a result of reapportionment and the proposed boundaries.

"Ken and I have a couple of goofy areas like that," Payne said, noting commissioners tried to limit changes to areas where population change was occurring already. "It just makes sense to swap out those that are obvious like those."

Doke and Payne said the boundaries proposed by resolution meets the criteria set out for being compact and meet the variance requirements for population. According to the resolution adopted Monday, District 1 will have 22,717 residents, District 2 will have 21,846 residents, and District 3 will have 21,776 residents.

A working copy of the district boundaries based on the 2020 Census may be found online at the following link: https://tinyurl.com/yh9sgc7h