Too Many Supervisors, Let’s Make the County Board Smaller

Our County Board currently has 26 supervisors.  One of my campaign commitments from 2018 was that I would support reducing the size of the board, and I remain unwavering in that commitment.

During my recent trip to Washington D.C. for the White House conference, I met with several County Board Supervisors and County Commissioners from other counties and states.  One of them had a unique perspective.  She was a Commissioner in Minnesota, and her county had only 5 Commissioners (Supervisors) on its board.  She was also serving on several board within the County, including the library board and the agricultural board, and those boards all had 20-25 members.  She was frustrated with how little those boards got accomplished, and how much the smaller County Board could get accomplished.

This unique perspective confirms, at least in my view, that I am right in my belief that we need to reduce the size of the board.  The strong support I have received from many of my neighbors in district 3 also confirms my belief.

So the next questions are, how much smaller should the board be, and how quickly should it be reduced?

County Board Size
For a County our size, I could see the board being as small as 13-14 supervisors.  I think a smaller board like that could be very effective, while still ensuring adequate representation of the constituents.

Speed for Reducing the County Board
In May of 2018, the idea I proposed to my neighbors in District 3 was to do a series of incremental reductions, starting after the 2020 census.  My idea was to reduce to around 21-22 after the 2020 census, reduce again around 2026, and make a final reduction after the 2030 census.  I know, from previous instances in which this topic came up, that some supervisors favor reducing the board on a more drastic timeframe.  I also know that some supervisors opposing reducing the board.

Ultimately, some compromise is going to need to happen, but I plan to vote for reducing the board.  We simply don't need to have so many supervisors, 26 is far too many.


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