"Didn't Want To Confuse People"

Bobbie Bicknell Coray, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

Redistricting the School Board

RANDOLPH, Utah.  November 5, 2014.  Commissioner Bill Cox responded to newly elected school board member Bryce Huefner’s query about why the County Commission had not acted to reapportion the school board as required by the Utah Code.  Huefner pointed out that 8 months ago he had come to the board with data which could have been used. 

Cox said, “We couldn’t  have a committee it until after the election  because people would be confused about where to vote.” 

Huefner responded that redistricting should have been done at least 3 years ago.  “This is a process and people understand this, they would not have been confused.  We came to you as a committee months ago and you promised to get the committee selected within a month.  We have heard nothing.”

The commissioners said they were angered at the fact that Huefner had called the Lt. Governor’s office to report the fact that Rich County Commission had not followed the Utah Code regarding  the proper redistricting  of the county. 

“This is my second presentation to the commission,” said Huefner, who had a power point presentation and charts which demonstrated the growth from the 2000 Census to  the 2010 Census.  By 2010, Garden City had grown more than the other cities in the county.  It is now 19% larger than Randolph and the 5 board seats need to be reallocated by Utah law.

Huefner had convened a county wide citizen’s committee to look at population, land area and logical break points and  proposed a division of the county  as such:  Garden City North from north Garden City to the highway;  Garden City South, from south Garden City to Sweetwater Trailer Park and Round Valley; Laketown, Laketown unincorporated, Laketown and north Bear River Valley: Randolph, Randolph  City and Woodruff , south valley and Woodruff to the Wyoming border.  Each district is contiguous and has approximately 450 people.

Cox said that Huefner had appointed himself as the “Reapportionment  Czar.”  Huefner said he was a concerned citizen representing a committee of other concerned citizens and as a citizen had a right to come to the commission.  Cox said the commission had identified a 14 person committee which they would appoint  immediately.  A list of county reapportionment committee members includes: Bill Cox, Bill Kennedy, Renae Barker, Cally Leavitt, Taylor Payne, Shawn Groll, Betty Mills, Sim Weston, Chris Hopkins, Mike Meeks, Pete Cornia, Bret England, Curtis Moldenhauer, and Tammy Calder.

Norm Weston said they would take the advice of this committee, not the citizen’s committee Huefner represented.

Then Huefner pivoted to another discussion, that of changing the County Commission to a County Council.  The meeting grew testy after Huefner brought up the idea that the county needed a county council which had 5 members which would be apportioned just like the proposed school districts and which would give broader representation.

Huefner said that Garden City Residents don’t feel that the county commissioners represent them.  “You three are ranchers, I love ranchers, but you don’t understand us.  Tom Weston challenged Huefner to tell any time he or the other commissioners had not responded to his needs. “Now we in Garden City area feel that our viewpoints are not being respected,” said Huefner.  

Cox asked, “ in what did we not support Garden City?” Jennifer Huefner said “ I would like to see less divisiveness, and that broader representation will make us more cohesive.    We know you have done a lot of work for us.”

Norm Weston said “We don’t need Garden City to tell us what to do.” Tom Weston said angrily, “tell me exactly what we haven’t done for you.”  At this point Huefner closed his presentation.