On Monday, Sept. 29, the Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners discussed using Missoula County, Montana’s model approach for drawing up a new commissioner district map and possibly changing how commissioners get elected. The Deschutes County District Mapping Advisory Committee is also meeting weekly to work on map proposal ideas.
The map proposals, developed by the DMAC, follow the voter-approved expansion of the Board of County Commissioners from three to five members. If approved, the new district boundaries would be used starting in the 2028 election. Under the proposed plan, commissioners must reside within the districts they represent, but would still be elected at-large by all County voters.
Monday’s deliberation follows weeks of public meetings and a growing debate over whether the proposed changes would better represent all County residents or leave rural voices behind.
Commissioner Phil Chang introduced the Missoula County model at Wednesday’s Board of County Commissioners meeting. County Administrator Nick Lelack recommended continuing the discussion on Monday. The proposed setup divides the County into districts with equal populations, while still allowing everyone in the County to vote for all the candidates, not just the ones in their own district. A similar model is already used by the Bend-La Pine Schools board.
The DMAC has reviewed three draft maps, though none have been officially presented to the BOCC. Some maps cluster districts around incorporated cities like Bend and Redmond, while others spread boundaries more evenly across rural and urban areas. Each map aims to meet the criteria of equal population, contiguity and fairness, avoiding favor toward any political party or incumbent.
At recent public meetings in Sisters and Redmond, residents raised concerns about transparency, fairness and rural representation.
Rodney Cooper of Sisters warned that rural voices could be drowned out by Bend and Redmond’s growth. City of Sisters Councilor Cheryl Pellerin urged the committee to use population forecasts showing rapid growth in smaller cities.
Others questioned the speed and fairness of the process. Resident Monica Tomosy criticized the committee’s formation. Samantha Smith said the quick timeline risks disenfranchising smaller communities like Redmond. Bryce Kellog argued the at-large model favors the county’s “liberal base.” According to the most recent voter registration numbers, the majority of Deschutes County voters are non-affiliated. Of its 163,916 registered voters, 48,807 were registered as Democrats, 44,711 were Republicans and 56,780 were not affiliated with any party.
John Nielsen of Redmond called for a public vote to decide if districts are even necessary, cautioning that drawing boundaries too soon could “further divide” urban and rural communities. Connie Peterson said she’s concerned with the overall process, including the group’s lack of broad representation as well as the speed with which decisions are being made. Committee members were selected by county commissioners.
The DMAC will continue to meet weekly through the fall to finalize recommendations. All meetings are open to the public, with input encouraged.
The next in-person opportunity to weigh in will be at the La Pine Senior Activity Center on Wednesday, Oct. 1, from 1-3 pm.
The final map must first be approved by the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners. If they approve it, the maps would then need to be approved by voters in 2026 to go into effect.
–This article has been updated. In the original version, in the first paragraph, we stated that Monday’s meeting would include consideration of “adopting a new five-district map.” That was incorrect. In the fifth paragraph, we stated that DMAC presented five draft maps for review. That was also incorrect; none have yet been presented. We regret the errors.
This article appears in the Source October 2, 2025.
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