Soon, the Yavapai County redistricting marathon will come to a end when the Board of Supervisors selects a map Monday, Aug. 22.
County staff, led by Yavapai County Administrator Julie Ayers, traveled the county hosting open house meetings, answering questions, taking comments and eventually producing four maps based on popular public opinion.
Maps A, B, C and D made their debut in front of the public June 1, and now, in the eleventh hour, Yavapai County District 2 Supervisor Tom Thurman also proposed a fifth alternative.
In Sedona and the Verde Valley, the original Map C appears to be most popular, even with our county supervisor, Chip Davis. District 3 Supervisor Davis endorsed Map C as the best alternative for the Verde Valley.
Map C pairs Sedona and the Village of Oak Creek with Camp Verde, Lake Montezuma, McGuireville, Cherry and portions of Prescott Valley.
The remainder of the Verde Valley makes up a second district.
The Sedona City Council, Big Park Regional Coordinating Council in the Village of Oak Creek, Cottonwood City Council, Clarkdale Town Council and the Beaver Creek Coordinating Council came out in favor of Map C often citing the map’s ability to possibly keep two supervisor seats in the Verde Valley.
The Camp Verde Town Council has yet to endorse a map but will talk about where the town stands at its meeting Wednesday, Aug. 17.
The ultimate decision, however, will be made by the three supervisors — Thurman, Davis and District 1 Supervisor Carol Springer. They, like county staff, made rounds throughout the county to find out which map their constituents prefer.
After the vote is cast, the county submits the selected map to the Department of Justice for review. The county anticipates receiving approval in December.
Elections for supervisor seats begin in August 2012 with a primary election followed by the general election in November 2012. New supervisors will take their seats in January 2013.
