The Great Bend City Council revision of council ward lines last year sparked the need for a  resolution to establish new Barton County Commission districts, County Clerk Bev Schmeidler said, addressing the County Commission Wednesday morning. The resolution adopted replaced one approved Jan. 18, 2021.

“Great Bend passed an ordinance in April 2022 to change the ward lines in the city,” she said. “And with that happening, we had to change the precinct lines after we reviewed the census data.”

This involved moving the precinct lines within the wards slightly. The boundaries had to be adjusted so the wards, precincts and districts all ended up with a population as equal as possible, she said. 

This only includes the area within the city limits, she said. “The remainder of the county stays the same.”

The changes are based on the 2020 census data, Schmeidler said.