CARNESVILLE, Ga. — Franklin County commissioners will hear details Monday on how to correct the county’s lopsided voting district lines. County Attorney Bubba Samuels first told the Franklin County Board of Commissioners in November that its voting districts are in violation of the Civil Rights Voting Act and must be redrawn. Failing to do so could make the county vulnerable to a lawsuit.
Samuels will present a reapportionment report during the board’s regular January meeting on Monday. Currently, Franklin County has four commission districts, and each is represented by a commissioner who lives in that district. “Based upon the 2010 Census, there’s a disparity between the districts,” Samuels said. “Two of them are about 500 people to the positive, and two are about 500 people to the negative.” That negative, Samuels said, could make it less likely for there to be a minority candidate from a smaller commission district, which could be grounds for legal action from the state or federal government.
The Voting Rights Act requires that commission districts be roughly equal in population. Samuels said Georgia’s Legislative Re-apportionment Office has recommended that Franklin County redraw the district lines. In other business Monday, the board will hear the results of the recent county audit by the firm of Rushton & Co. and will re-appoint several department heads for 2012.
The board also is expected to discuss the county airport authority’s method of loaning out courtesy cars.
Questions of the county’s liability arose during the December meeting when commissioner Clint Harper pointed out that the airport has no formal process for leasing or loaning out the vehicles. At that meeting, Harper cited an email he found on the website www.airnav.com.
The email said that cars with the keys in them are there for anyone’s use so long as the driver fills out a slip of paper.
Harper said the county and the airport authority should be more prudent in designating who drives a courtesy vehicle since the county is paying for the insurance on those vehicles.
Airport Authority President Harris Little spoke to commissioners at their all-day work session Dec. 29, and commissioners are expected Monday to discuss the outcome of this meeting.
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