Supervisors to get redistricting update

The Butte County Board of Supervisors will get an update Tuesday, Sept. 14, on the project to redraw the board district boundaries.

Redistricting is required every 10 years after the completion of the census. All five districts must be roughly equivalent in population.

This will be a challenge this year because of the Camp Fire in November 2018 that destroyed most of the town of Paradise, as well as Concow and parts of Magalia and Butte Creek Canyon.

Most of the area is in the 5th District. The district lost roughly half of its population due to the fire. Many of them moved to the 2nd and 3rd Districts, which include most of Chico and areas west and north of there. Thousands more moved out of the county.

That suggests the area included in the 5th District will have to grow, while the areas of the 2nd and 3rd Districts will

have to shrink.

How that will happen is being worked on by the consulting firm Redistricting Partners, which had been collecting comments and suggestions from the public. Representatives of the firm will update the board and be given direction how to proceed.

This is a timed item, scheduled to be heard at 1:30 p.m.

Draft redistricting maps are scheduled to be presented to the board on Oct. 12.

In other action, the supervisors might give themselves a raise. Their salaries are linked by percentage to those of judges, under a county ordinance. If judges get a raise, the supervisors can give themselves a raise of the same percentage.

Judges were given three raises since 2018 totaling 8.5 percent, but the supervisors have not increased their salaries. Staff is recommending a 3 percent raise, effective Nov. 15.

The move would boost each of the five members’ pay from $60,997 to $62,827. The action is included in the consent agenda, a list of items considered non-controversial and usually approved on a single motion.

The board is also being asked to weigh-in on agricultural hoop structures. These are greenhouses typically constructed of metal or plastic pipe, covered with plastic sheeting. Currently they are allowed only if they have an area of 120 squarefeet or less.

The board is being asked whether to keep that policy, or allow larger ones, with or without limitations.