OLYMPIA – The move to better representation and governance received a strong bipartisan stamp of approval today. The House State Government committee approved legislation by State Rep. Marcus Riccelli (D-Spokane) that would expand the number of elected seats in county governments over the size of 300,000 and require a redistricting committee to divide the county into five commissioner districts.
“Spokane County has almost 500,000 residents but only three elected representatives in their government. This bill is simple, provides better governance, and better representation to large counties in our state. I’m very excited to see it move forward,” said Riccelli.
While counties over the size of 300,000 would be required to expand to five commissioners, smaller counties could expand their commission size if approved by voters in an election.
###