Jacksonville City Council faces a Nov. 18 deadline to redraw its district boundaries following the 2010 Census results.
Assistant General Counsel Jason Gabriel and Planning and Development Department Director Bill Killingsworth presented the process at the fifth public hearing at Tuesday’s Council meeting.
Gabriel and Killingsworth explained that Jacksonville’s 2010 population of 864,263 will be divided among 14 districts of about 61,733 people each and five At-Large districts of about 172,853 people each.
Killingsworth said the preliminary analysis shows that the area north and west of the river will lose a district; south and east of the river will gain a district; the Beaches can have its own district; and some districts will become larger and others smaller.
The seven Duval County School Board districts also are affected. Gabriel said each school board district consists of two Council districts.
Their presentation said there can be a 10 percent population variance between the largest and smallest districts. The plan is to balance the needs of communities of common interest with the desire for compact districts, and to minimize having districts cross the river and preserve existing districts to the extent possible.
The redistricting applies to general elections nine months after the effective date.
It also applies to the school board in 2012 and Council in 2015, according to the presentation.
If Council does not approve a plan by Nov. 18, Circuit Court will decide, Gabriel said.
District 2 Council member Bill Bishop said there will be another redistricting presentation at 2 p.m. Sept. 22 in Council chambers at City Hall.
In other Council activities:
• District 11 Council member Ray Holt invited Council members and the public to a Support Our Port/Bring The Noise rally at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 6 at the Jacksonville Landing Downtown. His district includes the Jacksonville Port Authority Blount Island and Dames Point marine terminals. Holt authored a resolution that calls on the citizens of Jacksonville to recognize the importance of the Port of Jacksonville to the area’s economy and the need for improvements to the port’s facilities to promote its success, and urges City residents to take part in the rally.
• District 12 Council member Doyle Carter wished his wife, Trish, a happy anniversary. Tuesday was their 24th anniversary.
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