23-151. Commissioner system; districts; number; redistricting; duties of county board; commissioners; election.

(1) Each county under commissioner organization having not more than four hundred thousand inhabitants as determined by the most recent federal decennial census shall be divided into (a) three districts numbered respectively, one, two, and three, (b) five districts as provided for in sections 23-148 and 23-149 numbered respectively, one, two, three, four, and five, or (c) seven districts as provided for in sections 23-292 to 23-299 numbered respectively, one, two, three, four, five, six, and seven. Each county having more than four hundred thousand inhabitants as determined by the most recent federal decennial census shall be divided into seven districts numbered respectively, one, two, three, four, five, six, and seven.

(2) Such districts shall consist of two or more voting precincts comprising compact and contiguous territory and embracing a substantially equal division of the population of the county. District boundary lines shall not be subject to alteration more than once every ten years unless the county has a change in population requiring it to be redistricted pursuant to subdivision (3)(a) of this section or unless there is a vote to change from three to five districts as provided for in sections 23-148 and 23-149.

(3)(a) The establishment of district boundary lines pursuant to subsection (1) of this section shall be completed within one year after a county attains a population of more than four hundred thousand inhabitants as determined by the most recent federal decennial census. Beginning in 2001 and every ten years thereafter, the district boundary lines of any county having more than four hundred thousand inhabitants as determined by the most recent federal decennial census shall be redrawn, if necessary to maintain substantially equal district populations, by the date specified in section 32-553.

(b) The establishment of district boundary lines and any alteration thereof under this subsection shall be done by the county board. If the county board fails to do so by the applicable deadline, district boundaries shall be drawn by the election commissioner within six months after the deadline established for the drawing or redrawing of district boundaries by the county board. If the election commissioner fails to meet such deadline, the remedies established in subsection (3) of section 32-555 shall apply.

(4) The district boundary lines shall not be changed at any session of the county board unless all of the commissioners are present at such session.

(5) Commissioners shall be elected as provided in section 32-528. Elections shall be conducted as provided in the Election Act.

Source

Cross References

Annotations

Term population means the whole number of people in the county. Ludwig v. Board of County Commissioners of Sarpy County, 170 Neb. 600, 103 N.W.2d 838 (1960).

Act of 1915 was declared unconstitutional because of denial of equal voice in government by manner of formation of election districts. State ex rel. Harte v. Moorhead, 99 Neb. 527, 156 N.W. 1067 (1916).

Under 1913 amendment, county commissioners were elected in even-numbered years for a term of four years. De Larm v. Van Camp, 98 Neb. 857, 154 N.W. 717 (1915).

Change of terms of county commissioners to four years sustained as constitutional. State ex rel. Elsasser v. McDonald, 98 Neb. 59, 151 N.W. 931 (1915).

Commissioners elected prior to amendment of law hold office for four years and until their successors are elected and qualified. Best v. Moorhead, 96 Neb. 602, 148 N.W. 551 (1914), overruling State ex rel. Hensley v. Plasters, 74 Neb. 652, 105 N.W. 1092 (1905).

Under former law, term of county commissioner was three years. State ex rel. O'Gara v. Furley, 95 Neb. 161, 145 N.W. 343 (1914).

Board may change district boundaries, but terms of members are not altered by change. State ex rel. Connolly v. Haverly, 62 Neb. 767, 87 N.W. 959 (1901); State ex rel. Snell v. Westcott, 34 Neb. 84, 51 N.W. 599 (1892).