Westminster, MD, Monday, September 13, 2021 – This year, following the release of the decennial census, county representatives begin the process of reviewing and possibly redrawing the five existing county commissioner districts. Section 3-101(e) of the Carroll County Code requires that the Board of County Commissioners appoint a new Redistricting Committee, to examine the Carroll County Commissioner Districts based on the revised census data.  In May 2021, the commissioners appointed a 7-member Redistricting Committee to perform this task.

The committee is charged with reviewing the five existing Commissioner Districts in the county based on the 2020 census data to ensure that the districts continue to have a substantially equal population and preparing recommended revisions as necessary.  Such recommendations must be submitted to the Carroll County Legislative Delegation to the General Assembly by December 1, 2021.

The committee met on September 9, 2021 and agreed to continue discussing and considering three proposed maps at future meetings (No. 5, attached as “A”; No 8, attached as “B”; and No. 12, attached as “C”). These maps, as well as the current district map, are available for the public to view on the Redistricting Committee’s county webpage.

The Process:  The committee welcomes and encourages public attendance and participation at each of its meetings. All meetings of the Redistricting Committee are subject to the Maryland Open Meetings Act and all communications, documents, etc. are subject to the Maryland Public Information Act. If changes are recommended, the committee will create draft redistricting proposals for public review and comment. If changes are recommended, the committee will hold public hearings throughout the affected areas of the county to receive public comment on the draft redistricting proposals. After a series of public hearings, the committee will review and finalize its recommendations and forward them to the Carroll County Legislative Delegation. The Delegation may accept the recommended map or reject it and submit their own version to the General Assembly.

Notice of Public Meetings:  The Carroll County Redistricting Committee will hold public meetings at which the committee will conduct business and the public may ask questions and offer comments regarding its review of the five existing county Commissioner Districts on the following dates:

            Monday, September 20, 7:00 p.m. – South Carroll Senior Center

            Wednesday, September 22, 7:00 p.m. – Taneytown Senior Center

            Monday, September 27, 6:30 p.m. – North Carroll Public Library Branch

            Wednesday, September 29, 7:00 p.m. – Mt. Airy Senior Center

            Monday, October 4, 4:30 p.m. – County Office Building, Room 003

            Monday, October 18, 4:30 p.m. – County Office Building, Room 003

For more information and to follow the committee’s progress, please monitor the county’s dedicated webpage https://www.carrollcountymd.gov/government/boards-commissions/commission-on-redistricting-committee/ for more information. You may contact the Redistricting Committee by email at redistrictingcommittee@carrollcountymd.gov, by mail at Redistricting Committee, c/o County Attorney, 225 North Center Street, Suite 300, Westminster, Maryland 21157 or by phone at 410-386-2030.