(COLDWATER) – A decision is anticipated by this Friday on how many districts will be in Branch County.

The Branch County Apportionment Commission is meeting Friday afternoon to determine if the County Commission districts will remain at five or add two more for a total of seven. An increase in the number of districts would also mean an increase in the number of County Commissioners.

The Apportionment Commission has five maps that they are going to be considering. Three of them would have the number of County districts and Commissioners remain at five, while the other two call for two more districts and Commissioners, bringing the total to seven.

The decision is based on the 2020 U.S. Census. According to those numbers, Branch County had a small decrease in their population to 44,862 residents. The same Census has the population of Coldwater at 13,822. That's an increase of 26 percent from the 2010 Census.

The Branch County Commission saw a decrease in it's membership from eight down to the present five Commissioners based on the 2010 Census.