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The Syracuse Common Council passed an ordinance Monday that will begin the process of redrawing council districts in the city. 

An independent commission of citizens will redraw the city’s five council districts, with a final plan set to be approved and implemented by May 1, 2022. The ordinance expands and amends the city’s current redistricting procedure, which has been in place since 1960 and does not account for the division of local neighborhoods.

The ordinance, introduced by Councilor At-large Khalid Bey, passed unanimously.

“I hope this legislation serves as an example to legislative bodies in this area, specifically the county, to put the power in the people’s hands,” Councilor At-large Ronnie White said.

The Redistricting Commission will consist of 14 residents, according to the ordinance. The first eight will be chosen at random from a pool of qualified applicants and the final six will be selected by the commission to ensure racial, ethnic and gender diversity. 

The commission members will be unpaid, and the application window will be open until at least March 31. All commission members will be selected by July 31.

An independent commission of citizens will re-draw the city’s five council districts.

Members of the commission will draft new borders for the council districts that will be geographically compact and approximately equal in population and will minimize the division of local neighborhoods. The commission will also use the boundaries of existing electoral precincts and geographic boundaries, when possible. 

At least one public hearing will be held in each current district before a draft redistricting plan is created. There will be two more public hearings before that plan is presented to the Common Council. 

At Monday’s meeting, the council also approved a $1.6 million federal block grant that will help the city “prevent, prepare and respond to the novel coronavirus as soon as possible.” Councilor Latoya Allen, who represents the Syracuse University neighborhood in District 4, introduced the ordinance, which passed unanimously.

Allen said the city appreciates the federal funding but urged the area’s congressional representatives to get the funding to the people who need it most.

Published on January 11, 2021 at 5:40 pm

Contact Nick: nickrobertson@dailyorange.com | @NickRobertsonSU