City Council Set to Vote on Redistricting Tonight

The Fredericksburg City Council will likely vote tonight to adopt one of six redistricting options which would redraw the city's political boundaries. In a work session last week, the one labeled Option 1, and the other labeled Option 2B. Now, those two options have been drafted for the council to approve one or the other. 

Before the vote, the City Council will be holding one last public hearing on the redistricting options. Residents in the Hazel Hill area have opposed Option 1 because it would split their neighborhood.  

A proposed timeline included in documents distributed to members of the City Council sees them conduct one last public hearing on the proposed changes before voting to adopt one of the options of first reading. All ordinances must be voted on twice to become law in the city.

If adopted on first read tonight, the City Council would be unable to take a final vote on the matter until after the November 8 general election. State law prohibits changes to voting districts in the 60 days prior to an election. The earliest the City Council could vote on the matter in regular session would be on Nov. 22. If approved, the ordinance would be forwarded to the Department of Justice for preclearance review. 

Both of the two options would require a second polling location and precinct for Ward 1. Also at the Nov. 22 meeting, the City Council would vote on the new precinct and polling place on first reading, with a second reading scheduled for Dec. 13 before the ordinance would be forwarded to the Department of Justice for preclearance review. 

Under this timeline, notices alerting voters of the changes would be mailed out by Feb. 17 2012, a little under a month before the presidential primary election sees the new precincts in action.