Council members discuss timeline, committee coordination for adopting new districting map

During new business at the Jan. 2 meeting the Common Council addressed the pending adoption of a new districting map and whether a local law could be introduced at the next council meeting. A councilor asked that the map be prioritized; other councilors and staff responded that drafting the required legal descriptions is a substantial task and that the council needs to confirm the districting commission’s status before moving forward.

Council discussion noted the council had not yet received a finalized draft of the map descriptions and that members of the districting commission may have begun work. One councilor said the drafting and vetting of the descriptive language is time-consuming and suggested contacting the commission chair — identified in the transcript as Jimmy Callahan — to determine next steps and whether existing drafts can be vetted rather than recreated.

No formal motion or vote to introduce a local law was recorded in the transcript. A councilor volunteered to contact the commission chair and to seek a status update and timeframe so the council could direct next steps at a subsequent meeting. The transcript showed concern about missing prior deadlines and a desire to avoid interference with the election cycle if timing is rushed.

The council did not set a firm deadline in the meeting record; staff and councilors said they would follow up and aim to bring a direction and timeframe to the next meeting.