Organizations in Northwest Austin have been working to submit map recommendations to the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission during the process of creating 10 geographic areas in Austin for City Council elections.

In November 2012, voters approved creating 10 single-member districts for City Council elections and representation. Under the 10-1 plan, the mayor is still elected at-large. The 14-member ICRC is drawing the map of the districts and will need to have it ready before the next City Council election in November 2014.

The most recent preliminary map that the ICRC created was released Sept. 28, and it reflects some recommendations made by organizations such as the Northwest Austin Coalition, the North Austin Coalition of Neighborhoods and Austinites for Geographic Representation. NACN President Mary Rudig said NWAC and NACN recommended using US 183 as a divider for two districts in Northwest Austin, which is one recommendation reflected in ICRC's preliminary map with slight adjustments for population.

"The northwest and far northwest crowd—[ICRC] really listened to them. They kept the WilCo people together, and they kept the Northwest Austin Civic Association people together, which I thought was very important," Rudig said.

Overall, NACN does not see any problems with the preliminary map for North Austin neighborhoods, she said.

NWAC organizer Jimmy Flannigan said the organization was created because Northwest Austin needs a voice in the redistricting process. NWAC's goal is to support leaders in Northwest Austin and address community needs and concerns. The organization was the first in Austin to provide the ICRC with redistricting recommendations, which were submitted Aug. 14, according to the ICRC. Flannigan said overall the organization is pleased with how the ICRC has mapped its area of town.

"It's not a perfect map by any means, and it did not do exactly what the Northwest [Austin] Coalition wanted, but it is certainly an acceptable alternative to us for the areas of ours that they drew," Flannigan said.

Flannigan said NWAC is only advocating for what is best for Northwest Austin residents and is not recommending boundaries for other neighborhoods in Austin.

"We like what the commission is doing so far," Flannigan said. "We know the process isn't done. We want to support not just our residents, but support the other coalitions and the other groups around the city and help them advocate for what they think is best for their communities of interest."

Of the proposed 10 districts, four are considered minority opportunity districts, which have requirements that must be met per the Voting Rights Act. The purpose is to create districts that reflect a reasonable opportunity for a minority to elect an individual of his or her own minority status, said Ed English, a Milwood neighborhood resident and North Austin representative for AGR.

"The reason for it is to offer the citizens of Austin a form of government that is more representative based upon various parts of the city," English said.

Public meetings for citizens to voice their opinions about the redistricting began in August, and four more meetings will be held through the end of October.

English said a second draft of the map is expected to be completed at the end of October, and two more public input meetings are scheduled for November. The ICRC's goal is to complete the map by early December, and the map could change until it is finalized, English said.

"The map is a vast improvement from [ICRC's] first attempt," English said. "It is not perfect—it still needs to be adjusted based on public input."

For more information about the redistricting, visit www.austinredistricting.org.