Here's how Corpus Christi residents can give input on redistricting
Corpus Christi residents can soon give input for the city’s redistricting plan.
On Tuesday, the City Council approved a tentative schedule for holding public sessions and adopting a plan.
With new population data revealed in the decennial census, jurisdictions must redraw their district lines to make sure the political divisions have approximately equal populations.
The city is aiming to adopt a new district map well before the election filing period begins in July.
Though the city implemented suggestions from the League of Women Voters Corpus Christi to engage the public, the council stopped short of greenlighting one of the group’s requests — an independent redistricting commission, a body of diverse residents who would advise the city on drawing the lines in a fair way.
The city has enlisted Bickerstaff Heath Delgado Acosta LLP, an Austin-based law firm, to assist with redistricting.
District 5 Councilman Gil Hernandez said one of his priorities in the redistricting process is to avoid splitting residential streets between two different districts. To preserve communities of interest, he recommended giving districts “clean” boundaries consisting of arterial roads or highways rather than residential or collector streets.
District 4 Councilman Greg Smith proposed that any suggestions for the map made by council members be available to the public. City Secretary Rebecca Huerta said she would refer to the legal counsel on that issue.
How can the public give input?
The council will have an open-session workshop on Feb. 21 where the members will review and revise the first draft of a map proposed by the redistricting counsel.
Several community input sessions are scheduled between Feb. 22 and March 8.
The council is set to approve the redistricting plan on first reading March 22 and on second reading March 29.
Those dates are subject to change.
The public hearings, which are all set to last from 6 to 7 p.m., are scheduled as follows:
Tuesday, Feb. 22 — general session (in person and virtual), City Council Chambers, 1201 Leopard St.
Wednesday, Feb. 23 — District 2 (in person), Lindale Senior Center, 3135 Swantner
Thursday, Feb. 24 — District 1 (in person), Owen R. Hopkins Public Library, 3202 McKinzie Road
Monday, Feb. 28 — District 5 (in person) Veterans Memorial High School, 3750 Cimarron Blvd.
Wednesday, March 2 — District 4 (in person), Ethel Eyerly Senior Center, 654 Graham Road
Thursday, March 3 — District 3 (in person), Water Utilities Building, Choke Canyon Room, 2726 Holly Road
Tuesday, March 8 — general session (in person and virtual), City Council Chambers
Per a request from District 3 Councilman Roland Barrera, the council will hold an additional workshop before March 22 — when the council is set to consider a map on first reading — to finalize comments from the public.
A redistricting webpage will be ready by next week, Huerta said. It will include current and proposed maps, as well as a map with census blocks.
The city is also looking into using StoryMaps, an interactive program using geographic data, to allow residents to draw their own maps on the webpage.
All council presentations, a public hearing schedule and a timeline for map approval will also be on the webpage.
Residents can submit written comments to 2022redistricting@cctexas.com.
Huerta said she took into account recommendations from the League of Women Voters, including public input sessions in each district, virtual access to sessions, evening times for the meetings and the ability to submit written comments.
What about an independent commission?
During Tuesday’s meeting, Hernandez referenced a setback in Nueces County’s redistricting process in late 2021, when County Judge Barbara Canales accused commissioner Joe A. Gonzalez of redrawing his precinct to shut out a political opponent — which Gonzalez denied.
Though members of the League of Women Voters asked the city for an independent redistricting commission, Hernandez said it was not necessary.
“I don’t think anybody’s going to try and undistrict their opponent because we’ll be doing this well in advance of when you have to file,” Hernandez said. “I think we don’t have the same issues that the county did.”
Mayor Paulette Guajardo agreed, adding, “That’s an understatement.”
Tim Dowling, a member of the League of Women Voters, said the scheduled public hearings were promising but that the process was “very rushed.” He urged the City Council to adopt an independent redistricting commission.
He said the city of Austin, the city of Dallas and El Paso County have adopted independent commissions, and Austin’s IRC legislation was written by Steve Bickerstaff, a co-founder of the law firm that is handling Corpus Christi’s redistricting.
“I’m not going to give up on a commission,” Dowling said. “It’s the best way to do this.”
Barrera said he would ask the law firm whether it would recommend an independent commission during the council’s Feb. 22 workshop.
Vicky Camarillo covers Nueces County government and enterprise topics in Nueces County and Texas. See our subscription options and special offers at Caller.com/subscribe.
More: Nueces County redistricting process gets bumpy with tiff over perceived gerrymandering
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Here's how Corpus Christi residents can give input on redistricting
