Columbus Council views proposed redistricting maps, suggests no changes, unlike the school board

City leaders got a good look Tuesday at redistricting maps proposed for Columbus Council’s eight district representatives, and suggested no changes.

City Attorney Clifton Fay said that means council can vote on the maps in two weeks, after which they must be sent to the U.S. Department of Justice for review to ensure they comply with the Voting Rights Act.

Still up in the air is whether council’s district maps can match those of the Muscogee school board, which also has eight districts once aligned with council’s. The maps submitted for council’s approval came from the city’s 17-member redistricting commission. Those same maps were proposed to the school board, which immediately altered them, particularly in Districts 1, 4 and 6.

Because every district bumps against another, changes to one or two inevitably alter others. The redistricting commission appointed by the mayor and council had hoped the council and school board districts would match, to avoid confusing voters who otherwise could wind up a council and school board district with different numbers.

Each governing body approves its own map, so neither is required to comply with the other’s. Councilors did ask Tuesday for copies of the school board’s maps for comparison.

The redistricting commission adopted its proposed map Sept. 28. The school board on Oct. 6 changed that map to a version its members preferred, but did not take a vote.

The 2012 council and school board elections will be July 31. The city charter says new maps must by approved six months in advance, or by Jan. 31, to be in effect then, said Nancy Boren, Columbus’ elections director.

Redistricting’s required every 10 years after the census, which in 2010 put the city’s population at 181,917, excluding Fort Benning, which is not included in council or school board districts. That figure made the ideal district population 22,740, with an acceptable deviation of 5 percent, so each district could have as few as 21,603 or as many as 23,877.

This story was originally published November 8, 2011 at 3:35 PM with the headline "Columbus Council views proposed redistricting maps, suggests no changes, unlike the school board."