AB465

Assembly Bill No. 465–Assemblywoman Tiffany

March 10, 1999

____________

Referred to Committee on Government Affairs

SUMMARY—Authorizes more frequent redistricting of county commissioner election districts in certain counties. (BDR 20-1431)

FISCAL NOTE: Effect on Local Government: No.

Effect on the State or on Industrial Insurance: No.

EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [~~omitted material]~~ is material to be omitted. Green numbers along left margin indicate location on the printed bill (e.g., 5-15 indicates page 5, line 15).

AN ACT relating to county commissioners; authorizing more frequent redistricting of county commissioner election districts in certain counties; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

1-1 Section 1. NRS 244.016 is hereby amended to read as follows:

1-2 244.016 1. In each county whose population is 400,000 or more, the

1-3 board of county commissioners consists of seven members. Each member

1-4 must be a resident of, and elected by the registered voters of, a county

1-5 commissioner election district established pursuant to this chapter.

1-6 2. The board of county commissioners shall establish seven county

1-7 commissioner election districts which must be as nearly equal in

1-8 population as practicable, and each of which must be composed entirely of

1-9 contiguous territory and be as compact as possible.

1-10 3. As soon as possible after the data from each decennial census

1-11 taken by the Bureau of the Census of the United States Department of

1-12 Commerce is made available to the county, the board of county

1-13 commissioners shall revise the seven county commissioner election

1-14 districts by establishing new county commissioner election districts or

1-15 adjusting the boundaries of the existing county commissioner election

1-16 districts to the extent necessary to ensure the seven county commissioner

1-17 election districts are as nearly equal in population as practicable. During

1-18 the sixth calendar year immediately following the taking of the last

1-19 decennial census, if the population in any county commissioner election

2-1 district exceeds the population in any other county commissioner election

2-2 district by more than 5 percent by any measure of population found

2-3 reliable by the board of county commissioners, the board of county

2-4 commissioners may revise the seven county commissioner election

2-5 districts by establishing new county commissioner election districts or

2-6 adjusting the boundaries of the existing county commissioner election

2-7 districts to the extent necessary to ensure the seven county commissioner

2-8 election districts are as nearly equal in population as practicable. Any

2-9 county commissioner election district established or adjusted pursuant to

2-10 this subsection must be composed of entirely contiguous territory and be

2-11 as compact as possible.

2-12 Sec. 2. NRS 244.018 is hereby amended to read as follows:

2-13 244.018 1. If new or changed county commissioner election districts

2-14 must be established because of changes in population [~~or]~~ as determined

2-15 from the data from the decennial census taken by the Bureau of the

2-16 Census of the United States Department of Commerce, pursuant to

2-17 subsection 3 of NRS 244.016 or because of changes in applicable law, the

2-18 board of county commissioners shall establish or adjust the boundaries of

2-19 those districts by ordinance and provide for the election from specified

2-20 districts of the proper numbers of county commissioners for 4-year and 2-

2-21 year terms respectively so that the numbers of county commissioners to be

2-22 elected at each general election thereafter will be as nearly equal as

2-23 possible.

2-24 2. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 244.011, if at the time a

2-25 general election is to be conducted for the election of county

2-26 commissioners from new districts there is incumbent any county

2-27 commissioner, elected at large or from a validly established election

2-28 district, whose term extends beyond the first Monday of January of the

2-29 following year, he is entitled to serve out his term and shall be deemed to

2-30 represent the new district in which he resides.