Supervisor Districts will see slight changes after census

BY BONNIE L. JACKSON
NEWS EDITOR
The Copiah County Board of Supervisors approved hiring the Central Mississippi Planning and Development District (CMPDD) to direct them in drawing the new district lines during last Friday’s meeting.  The task comes as a result of the 2010 Census.
District Two has the largest population at 6,492, a growth rate of 10.22% (602) since 2000.  District Three is second at 6,105, at increase of 3.65%(215).  District One totals 6,037, up slightly by 2.5%(147) since 2000.
Districts Four (618) and Five (114) each experienced a decrease in population since the 2000 census.   According to at least one supervisor, the lines will change a little in each district, as they must come closer to the recommended 5,890 per district recommended by CMPDD.
The process of getting the new boundaries approved includes a lengthy period of public feedback, at least on public hearing, acceptance by the board, approval by the Secretary of State’s office and approval by the U. S. Justice Department–all of which could take at least 120 days.