Deschutes County advisory committee sends proposed five-district map to commissioners on 4-3 vote
KTVZ
(Update: Adding video)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — On Wednesday, the Deschutes County District Mapping Advisory Committee voted to send a proposed county five-commissioner district map to the Board of County Commissioners for consideration.
The committee selected Map C as its final proposed map and recommended the Board assign district numbers by random drawing. The vote was 4-3: Bernie Brader, Matt Cyrus, Ned Dempsey, and Phil Henderson in favor and Andrew Kaza, Carol Loesche, and Melanie Kebler opposed.
Staff will present the DMAC’s findings and the recommended map at a Board of County Commissioners meeting in the coming weeks. If the Board approves the proposal, voters will vote on it in the May 2026 primary. If voters approve the map, it will take effect during the 2028 election.
Background
In November 2024, voters approved Measure 9-173 to expand the BOCC from three to five members. In response, the Board met several times to consider moving from five at-large positions to district-based positions. A majority of the Board voted to appoint a committee of seven community volunteers to draft a district map. Commissioners DeBone and Adair appointed two committee members each and Commissioner Chang appointed three.
The DMAC held weekly work sessions starting in early September to draft a map with approximately equal populations in each commissioner district. Over the course of 11 weeks, committee members reviewed several draft maps using Board-approved guidelines, Deschutes County voter registration data, 2020 census data, race and ethnicity population data and building permit trends since 2022.
For more information about the DMAC, including meeting minutes, draft maps and community feedback, please visit deschutes.org/dmac.