Fourth Augusta County redistricting draft available for public comment

Planning staff in Augusta County government has developed a fourth option for a map of proposed redistricting of magisterial district boundaries.

Draft Plan 4 can be viewed for consideration and commentary on the interactive redistricting website.

The new draft plan 4 revises Draft Plan 3 to keep the existing Riverheads/Pastures boundary line at the top of Little North Mountain and move the area in the vicinity of Boy Scout Lane, Trimbles Mill Road, and Cattleman Road back into Riverheads. Additionally, the area defined by Whitmore Road, Stover Shop Road, and Scenic Highway moves from Pastures back to North River as it is currently.

This revision eliminates a pointed area and creates a smoother boundary between the two districts.

These two changes represent the only changes from Draft Plan 3. All other proposed boundary lines are the same as those proposed in Draft Plan 3.

The Augusta County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing to consider the four draft options for magisterial districts on Wednesday, Dec. 8, at 7 p.m. at the Augusta County Government Center in Verona. In order to meet the redistricting timeline as mandated in Virginia state law, the Board of Supervisors will vote at the Dec. 8 meeting to approve one of the plans.

The approved plan will then be submitted to the Virginia attorney general for a certification of no objection.

The next phase of the process is determining voting precinct boundaries and polling places. The projected start for this phase is in early spring of 2022. At this time, staff has no information on how magisterial redistricting will impact voting precincts and polling places.

Every 10 years, after the U.S. Census data is released, Augusta County must review and analyze the new census data to ensure magisterial districts are balanced in population and follow redistricting criteria.

For more about redistricting requirements and general information about the county’s process, visit www.AugustaCountyVA.gov/redistricting.

The Redistricting Committee, including staff and two Board of Supervisors representatives, is responsible for this process.