Thoughts on County Board Size

Yesterday, Gov. Doyle signed a bill allowing County Boards to downsize twice every 10 years. This issue will be one that comes up often in the election.

I am torn about the answer. We have had a district empty for most of the year, as well as the relatively few contested races - this suggests that our current size is too large.

Conclusion: We need a smaller board to ensure that there are contested races to keep the board competitive.

However... According to the Wisconsin Taxpayer's Association, the larger the County Board, the lower the spending in the county:

New findings from the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance (WISTAX) challenge the conventional wisdom that smaller legislative bodies promote efficient government. In its latest report, "Options for County Organization," WISTAX found a surprising relationship between the size of a countyÂ’s board of supervisors and its spending per capita.

Using sophisticated statistical techniques, WISTAX researchers found that, after accounting for other factors, an increase in county board size of one supervisor was associated with lower spending of $8 to $10 per resident. The new report also summarizes important features of county government organization, including board size, administration type and compensation.

Conclusion: A larger County Board is better for fiscal responsibility.

So what is one to do?

I believe that the current board population of 38 might be a little many, as shown by the non-competitiveness. However, I would not advocate for a board half the size that we are currently, as many have recently. A board that is too small would make it to easy for interest group takeover.

I think Mark Harris makes a good point here:

The county board districts each have a population of about 4300 people at this time. It makes sense for the board to agree now on the approximate population each district should hold and allow the 2010 census to determine how many seats will result.

Perhaps instead of talking about how many board members that the county should have, we should come up with a number that we feel is just for representation.

Let's talk about the people. What is fair for representation? If we are too hung up on board size instead of population, it will play to easily into the hands of special interests.

The goal should be to have a board that is both responsive to the population, competitive in elections but still with an ability to defend the county from special interest take-over.

Whatever that number is will be the upcoming debate.