LAYTON -- Depending on which proposed redistricting plan you look at, Davis County would be in the new 4th district or remain in the 1st district. A redistricting committee has been scrambling, holding several meetings early in the week, to come up with different scenarios. Syracuse Sen. Sheldon Killpack is the sole Davis County legislator in the group.

Public input will be accepted at hearings Monday in Provo and elsewhere and Tuesday at 1 p.m. in Ogden at the Ogden Municipal Building, 2549 Washington Blvd., Suite 340, and 5 p.m. in Salt Lake City at the West Office Building, Room W135, State Capitol Complex.

Killpack said the Governor will have to call a special session of the Legislature next week, by Friday at the latest. That tight deadline is necessary to get an official state option decided and forwarded to Congress -- for possible action by year's end.

"The main thing we have to be careful about is to be sure the areas are as compact as possible, that they are as congruent as possible, and that the population is even within one-half of 1 percent," he said.

"I think there will be those who will always try to think that this is certainly more of a political process than what it is," Killpack said.

He emphasized that input has been sought from Democrats as well as other interested parties.

"Frankly, this may just prove to be an exercise in futility. For whatever reason, there are people who feel there's a chance a lame duck session will bear fruit.

"I'm not necessarily that optimistic, but you may as well have your ducks in a line" so that it can happen, Killpack said. Opinions are as varied as there are people, apparently, when it comes to how the whole process could end up, he said.

"There are those who have questions whether the District of Columbia should even be given consideration for a congressional seat," Killpack continued. "There's no question that come 2010, after the next census, we would be given an additional seat. That wouldn't become effective for a few more years.

"If, on the outside chance there's a glimmer of a possibility, you need to move forward and have faith" that redistricting can happen now, he said.

There are currently four redistricting proposals. In Plan A, Davis would remain in District 1 with Box Elder, Cache, Rich and Weber counties. In Plan B, in District 1, the county would add Tooele County.

In Plan C, Davis would remain in District 1 with all of the above counties but part of Weber would go to District 2. In a Plan G, Davis would be in the new District 4, with Weber, Tooele and part of Salt Lake County.

tbusselberg@davisclipper.com







tbusselberg@davisclipper.com