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GOVERNOR SIGNS COUNTY COMMISSIONS REDISTRICTING LAW
Governor Snyder signed House Bill 5187 which sets a limit of 21 commissioners in counties with a population of more than 50,000 and assigns apportionment responsibilities to commissioners in counties with a population of more than 1 million.
It passed 58-50 in the House and 20-17 in the Senate. Because of the population criteria, the Bill affects Oakland County only. The Bill will reduce the Oakland County Commission from 25 commissioners to 21 commissioners. It is estimated that the Bill will save the county about $500,000 in salary and benefits over two years.
The Commission is Republican dominated. Previously the county's Apportionment Commission had a 3-2
Democratic majority by virtue of the current rules. OCRP had filed a law suit challenging the apportionment plan, developed after the 2010 census, claiming gerrymandering to creat partisan districts for political purposes
Now Oakland County Democrats have filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Bill 5187 that shrinks the size of the county commission and allows its members to decide voting districts. The lawsuit claims the bill violates the Constitution because it was passed without a two-thirds majority vote in each house and without the approval of Oakland County voters, as required on acts that deal with a single local government. It seeks an injunction to bar the board from beginning work on a new redistricting plan.
Source: Detroit News
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