PARKERSBURG Wood county commissioners decided since the redistricting changes approved Monday will not mean any polling place changes, they will not mail voter notices.
"Since we aren't changing the precinct locations, I don't really see the necessity for mailing out notices, we could just save that money," commission President Blair Couch said.
Commissioner Wayne Dunn agreed.
"I don't see any reason to waste the money," Dunn said.
Commissioner Steve Gainer did not attend Thursday's meeting.
Wood County Clerk Jamie Six said his office would probably have mailed from 900 to 1,000 notices to voters at a cost of about $500.
"The changes would only affect potential candidates for the board of education, county commission and the executive committees, there will not be any polling place location changes," Six said.
Notices would have sent had there been changes in the polling places, Couch said.
The realignment approved by the commissioners will make adjustments in population within the districts to bring them into line with population shifts identified by the 2010 census. Precinct 38 (population 327) will be moved from District A to District B, and Precinct 69 (population 797) will be moved from District C to District A.
No voting precinct locations will move as a result of the changes and no sitting Wood County Board of Education members or county commissioners will be affected by the change.
Board of education, county commission and members of the political party executive party candidates are the only ones who run based on their district residency. Each county commissioner must reside in one of the districts and no more than two board of education members can serve from one district at a time.
No one objected during a public hearing on the proposed changes.
"The idea is to keep the districts as close to possible equal in population," Six said.
Six said letters have to be mailed for changes with regard to the city council district changes, but those changes involved polling place changes. About 200 voters will be moved from District 8 to District 9 in that change.
