ESCANABA — As the state continues to debate how to fairly reapportion the state into voting districts, Delta County has already decided how population changes will affect resident’s representation at the county level in 2022.

“Every ten years … after the census, we redistrict. They’re doing it at the state level. At the county level we do the county level commissioner districts,” said Nancy Przewrocki, county clerk and chair of the Delta County Reapportionment Commission.

The Reapportionment Commission — which is composed of Przewrocki, County Treasurer Sherry Godfrey, Delta County prosecuting Attorney Brett Gardner, Delta County Republican Party Chair Brad Mantela, and Delta County Democratic Party Chair Kelli Van Gin Hoven — had two primary goals when determining how to split the county into representative districts: to determine how many commissioners should represent residents and to determine which areas of the county should be represented by each individual commissioner.

In 2020, Delta County’s population was 36,903 people, according to the census, which allowed the county to have between five and 15 commissioners. While the Reapportionment Commission considered having seven or nine commissioners, the group ultimately decided to continue with five seats representing five districts.

Each of the five districts represents somewhere between 7,200 and 7,613 people — as close to the target population of 7,381 residents that would be represented if the total population was broken equally into five pieces as possible while still accounting for geography and the location of voting precincts.

For residents who currently live in District 1, which represents the bulk of the county’s land area, no changes will be made. The area represents Baldwin, Bay de Noc, Brampton, Cornell, Ensign, Fairbanks, Garden, Maple Ridge, Masonville, and Nahma townships, and is currently represented by Commissioner John Malnar.

The version of District 2 drawn in 2011 included the city of Gladstone, as well as Escanaba Township Precinct 1, which runs from the eastern edge of the township to the Escanaba River; and Escanaba Township Precinct 3, which runs from the river west to County Road 426. The new District 2 for 2022 nixes Precinct 3, which will now be a portion of District 3.

District 2 is currently represented by Commissioner Patrick Johnson.

District 3 represents the sharpest departure from the 2011 map. In addition to adding Escanaba Township Precinct 3, the district is adding Escanaba Township Precinct 2, which included the remainder of Escanaba Township, and the portion of the city of Escanaba south of 8th Avenue South that makes up the slightly-redrawn city Precinct 2. The district already includes Bark River and Ford River townships.

The two township districts will also be combined into a single precinct moving forward. This will not produce any meaningful changes for voters beyond shifting who represents them on the county commission, as both precincts already vote at the township hall.

In practice, the changes stretch the district from Ford River Township up to the northernmost area of Escanaba Township, around the majority of Escanaba as well as all of Wells Township.

The change will also force at least one of the currently seated commissioners off the commission in the next election cycle. Theresa Nelson, who currently represents District 3, and Bob Barron, who lives in Escanaba Township Precinct 2 and currently represents District 5, now find themselves within the same district boundaries. No one currently seated on the commission will represent the significantly smaller District 5 in 2022.

“We weren’t allowed to look at that kind of thing,” said Przewrocki, who noted the commissioners were not involved in the redistricting process.

District 4 will continue to be composed of Escanaba Precincts 1 and 3, however the boundaries of those precincts will shift. Precinct 1 will now stretch to 8th Avenue South on its southern border, and Precinct 3 will stretch from 3rd Avenue North to 8th Avenue South. The change straightens out the district’s lower edge and removes a significant portion of the city’s northern side.

Districts 4 is currently represented by Commissioner David Moyle.

The portion of North Escanaba eliminated from District 4 will be added to District 5 and the city’s Precinct 4. The precinct will run from the city limit to 3rd Avenue North and east to the lake. District 5 will also continue to include all of Wells Township.