City of San Antonio expands size of redistricting advisory committee to 2 appointees per district

SAN ANTONIO – An advisory committee that volition pb the city’s redistricting process volition astir treble successful size aft assembly members raised concerns astir having much practice from their districts.

The City of San Antonio indispensable re-draw its 10 metropolis assembly districts based connected the information from the 2020 U.S. Census. Though the metropolis assembly is yet liable for approving a caller representation - apt successful summertime 2022 - the metropolis is utilizing an advisory committee, consisting of assembly appointees, to gully it up.

Following a presumption connected the redistricting process and consequent assembly treatment connected Oct. 7, Mayor Ron Nirenberg and metropolis unit person accrued the fig of committee members from 13 to 23.

The usage of a committee volition beryllium a alteration from the past redistricting process successful 2011 and 2012, erstwhile consultants took the pb connected astir of the work. According to staff’s Oct. 7 presumption to assembly members, determination were besides respective closed-door assembly discussions and idiosyncratic assembly subordinate meetings earlier the projected plans got a acceptable of nationalist hearings.

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This clip around, assembly members volition name residents to an advisory committee, which volition pb the mode connected redrawing the maps. The committee volition person a bid of unfastened discussions betwixt November 2021 and June 2022 with nationalist input, portion getting assistance from metropolis unit and 2 extracurricular instrumentality firms.

Speaking to assembly members connected Oct. 7, City Attorney Andy Segovia said the usage of a committee to gully up the last districts for assembly to o.k. isn’t required, but unit were recommending it due to the fact that it adds “a level of transparency and a level of engagement that you would not person otherwise.”

City unit had primitively recommended a 13-person committee, made up of a azygous appointee from each assembly subordinate and 3 mayoral appointees. However, during the Oct. 7 presentation, immoderate assembly members questioned whether that fig couldn’t beryllium expanded.

District 9 Councilman John Courage noted determination were differences betwixt his constituents who unrecorded connected either broadside of Highway 281 oregon Loop 1604.

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“It would beryllium amended typical of my territory that I could person astatine slightest a mates of radical who recognize the diverseness and the antithetic challenges and things successful our territory to beryllium connected that committee,” Courage said during the meeting.

Segovia told KSAT aft the gathering that his office, the metropolis manager, and the mayor’s bureau would person to sermon whether the fig of committee members could beryllium expanded.

In a memo dated the adjacent day, Oct. 8, Mayor Ron Nirenberg told assembly members they would each get 2 appointees to the committee, portion helium would person three, including the committee’s 2 co-chairs, for a full of 23 committee members.

Nirenberg besides stressed the committee’s relation successful creating the last representation for assembly approval.

“To augment the community’s spot successful the process the Committee volition taxable a Final Plan to the Council with the anticipation that the Council volition determine connected approving, oregon not, without amendments,” Nirenberg wrote successful his memo. “This balances the request for an nonsubjective and community-driven decision-making process with the Charter’s request that City Council yet follow a Final Plan.”

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The members’ responsibilities, according to Nirenberg’s memo, volition include:

• Raise consciousness for the redistricting process

• Encourage each residents to enactment successful the process and pass them of opportunities for nationalist input

• Collect nationalist input connected projected plans

• Evaluate and objectively sermon projected plans

• Recommend revisions to plans to signifier a Final Plan

• Consistent gathering attendance and participation

• Adhering to the City of San Antonio’s Code of Ethics”

Nirenberg instructed assembly members to taxable their appointees by Oct. 29.

The committee is expected to instrumentality a last representation to the assembly for support successful summertime 2022. The caller representation volition beryllium archetypal utilized for the May 2023 municipal elections.

Generally, the city’s more-populated bluish districts volition request to shrink portion the confederate and cardinal districts volition request to grow to get person to the “ideal” size of 143,441 people.

The districts connected the last representation don’t person to beryllium precisely equal, but determination tin lone beryllium a 10% deviation betwixt the biggest and smallest ones. There’s presently a 34.6% spread betwixt Districts 5 and 8.

CLICK HERE for much accusation connected the city’s redistricting process

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