South Austin residents will have the chance to learn more about the 10-1 Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission process and share feedback at upcoming public meetings in Southwest Austin, said Peck Young, Austinites for Geographic Representation adviser, at a South Austin Civic Club meeting Aug. 13.

Young gave SACC members, including residents of Oak Hill and Shady Hollow, an update on the progress of the ICRC, which is charged with drawing the boundaries for new geographic districts in Austin. In November, voters approved Proposition 3, an amendment to the city charter, and once the map is drawn and approved, Austin will be represented by 10 council members elected from single-member districts and one at-large mayor. During the past year, the city formed the ICRC, a group of residents without conflicts of interest, to determine the boundaries for the new map of geographic districts.

"We now have that commission in place, and that commission is in the process of drawing those lines," Young said. "Frankly that commission is moving ahead at, frankly, what I consider a good pace for a historic process."

Young said the ICRC just hired an executive director and is planning to hire legal counsel and staff to complete the mapping process by the end of the month, in addition to holding a total of 14 public hearings.

The first of the meetings will take place Aug. 14, Young said. In Southwest Austin, one meeting will take place Aug. 21 at 6:30 p.m. at the Travis County Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace Court Building Community Center, 8656A W. Hwy. 71. On Aug. 28 at 6:30 p.m., a meeting concerning Precinct 4 will take place in the multipurpose room of the Austin Community College South campus, located at 1829 W. Stassney Lane.

The new geographic districts map must include "opportunity districts" for minorities in accordance with the Voting Rights Act, Young said. In such a district, the minority group has the opportunity to elect a representative because it has a voting majority or sizable minority. Young, who drew district lines for more than 30 years, said because of Austin's demographics, the map must provide African-American and Hispanic opportunity districts.

Each district will be made up of about 80,000 people once the lines are drawn, he said. Young said he expects two districts in South Austin will be dominated by the Hispanic population, with the other two south districts consisting mostly of white residents.

"South Austin should end up dominating or totally controlling four districts," he said.

The ICRC's target date to complete the map is Dec. 1, Young said, noting the group may take more time to make modifications to the map based on public input.

He said he thinks the city will see strong leadership emerge as a result of the 10-1 plan.

"This system is going to give young talent a way to get on another stage and prove themselves, and our current system has not done that in decades. But how well it works and how quickly it works will depend on the initial leadership," he said. "I can't predict [what will happen in Austin]. I've seen in other cities a turnaround in the way the city functioned, in a very positive way in San Antonio, [but] I've seen a period in which the adjustment was frankly rough."

Meeting information and more details about 10-1 are available at www.austintexas.gov.