HB411: HB411 Banks County; Board of Commissioners; change description of districts

Banks County elects its board of commissioners from five districts: four numbered districts plus a countywide chairperson seat. This bill amends the 1916 Act that created the board, as last changed in 2022, to redraw the boundaries of Commissioner Districts 1 through 4 using new maps based on the 2020 U.S. Census. The detailed new boundaries are listed by census voting district (VTD) and census block in an attached appendix. The bill also protects current commissioners already in office, letting them finish their terms and be treated as representing their same district number even though the district's boundaries have changed. It defines technical census terms used in the maps, including how to handle land accidentally left out of any district or land described as being in a district it is not actually connected to. The law would take effect as soon as the Governor signs it or it otherwise becomes law.

• Redraws the geographic boundaries of Banks County's Commissioner Districts 1, 2, 3, and 4 using new maps tied to the 2020 U.S. Census.
• Keeps Commissioner District 5 as the entire county, with its elected member continuing to serve as board chairperson.
• Defines census terms like 'VTD' (voting tabulation district) and 'Block' used to describe the new district lines, based on 2020 Census Bureau data.
• Sets rules for handling any land left out of all districts or land assigned to a district it is not geographically connected to, assigning it to the least populated adjacent district.
• Allows current commissioners to finish their terms and treats them as representing their same district number under the new boundaries.
• Makes the law effective immediately upon the Governor's signature or otherwise becoming law without changing the five-district structure itself.

Banks County voters and residents, whose commissioner district lines and represented officials could shift; current members of the Banks County Board of Commissioners, whose district boundaries change but who keep serving out their terms; and local election officials who administer commissioner elections.

Where county commission district lines fall determines which commissioner represents a given resident and can affect how votes are grouped for elections. This bill updates those lines to reflect 2020 Census population data without changing how many districts exist or removing any sitting commissioner.

• Section 1 revises Section 2 of the 1916 Act to redivide Banks County into five commissioner districts, with Districts 1 through 4 matching the boundaries in Appendix A.
• Section 1 keeps District 5 as the whole county, with its elected member serving as board chairperson.
• Section 1 defines 'VTD' and related census terms by reference to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau report for Georgia.
• Section 1 provides that any county land left out of a district goes to the contiguous district with the least population, and any land assigned to a district it is not contiguous to is reassigned the same way.
• Section 2 lets sitting commissioners finish their current terms and continue to be treated as representing their same-numbered district under the newly described boundaries.
• Section 3 makes the Act effective upon the Governor's approval or upon its becoming law without such approval.
• Section 4 repeals any conflicting laws.
• Appendix A lists the specific census voting districts and census blocks that make up Districts 1 through 4.

1. 2025-05-13Effective Date 2025-05-13
2. 2025-05-13Act 199
3. 2025-05-13House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2025-04-07House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2025-03-10Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2025-03-10Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2025-02-28Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2025-02-27House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)

• Chris Erwin (R, HD-032)Primary sponsor

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 27, 2025

   169 yea, 0 nay (5 not voting, 6 absent)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #99

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 10, 2025

   43 yea, 1 nay (3 not voting, 9 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #221

• local government redistricting
• Banks County
• county commissioners
• election districts