LTE – Terry Nichols – 12-8-2021
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send your username and password to you.
Letter to the Editor
2020 Census and Redistricting
Due to the compressed timeline this year for redistricting and timelines, it seems the redistricting issues is making headlines across the state. Of course, at the state level you have the proposed Republican map and the Democratic map. Oh, don’t forget the People’s map. At the county level county employees are busy looking at its own territory and trying to provide a balancing act sort of speak. The 2020 Census comes into play All the townships had an October 15 due date to give their input to the county. A recent County Board of Supervisors meeting approved the county’s Redistricting plan. Watching the County Board of Supervisors recent meeting, one board supervisor asked about growth in the county and if that makes a difference in dollars the county receives. I had been doing a little digging related to the 2020 Census and growth myself. Keep in mind we all have access to census date if we chose.
After looking at census information sent to our town clerk, she shared this information coming from the Department of administration in Madison. The document states that the Dunn County population increased by 361 people according to census information. This made me think about the growth of the Town of Elk Mound and the Town of Colfax. I had noticed growth in these townships in my travels in the area. The Town of Elk Mound grew by 153 people according to the 2020 Census. The Town of Colfax grew by 113 people. If you combine the two townships, it’s a total of 266 people. When you think that the county only grew by 361 people, and the two townships totaled 266 people, if I did my math correctly, these two townships represent 73.68, almost 74 percent of the county’s growth. Does the county get any benefit from this growth? How about property taxes? How about the fact that families and others chose to live here and raise families? The Village of Elk Mound lost one person and the Village of Colfax lost 56 people according to the census as well. Will the redistricting change in these two townships, I’m hearing probably not? Seeing that the County Board of Supervisors recently approved the redistricting plan, I guess it doesn’t matter now. Maybe the county will give the two townships a gold star on their homework?
Terry Nichols
Town of Colfax