North Austin group to host 10-1 redistricting discussion Jan. 21

The North Austin Coalition of Neighborhoods will host a town hall meeting Jan. 21 to solicit input on neighborhood representation and priorities for when Austin City Council splits into 10 geographic districts.

The City of Austin auditor's office will be accepting applications for the Citizens Redistricting Commission that will draw the 10 districts. Ed English, who is the North Austin coordinator and volunteer manager for Austinites for Geographic Representation, an independent, grass-roots organization that supports the 10-1 plan, said that based on geography, he would guess the North Austin area could be split into three districts.

"Just about every area of Austin has a neighborhood association," he said. "Some are very active and some are not. We want to solicit opinions on how they should contribute and voice their opinions."

The NACN meeting is scheduled to run from 7–9 p.m. at St. Albert Catholic Church, 12041 Bittern Hollow Road. Additional information is available on its website. NACN represents neighborhoods in North Austin in the 78758 and 78753 ZIP codes.

Austin voters approved the 10-1 plan Nov. 6 that will split the city into 10 geographic single-member districts for City Council representation and elections with the mayor elected at-large.

Although the NACN meeting is not a city-sponsored event, English said AGR has been in close communication with the city auditor's office on the early planning stages of how to form the CRC. The CRC will have 14 members, and English said it is vital to have a diverse pool of applicants to apply for the commission.

"A lot of people are just excited to see this happen," English said. "It's an opportunity for every part of Austin to have a voice at the table."

Applications for the CRC will be available on the city auditor's 10-1 website starting Jan. 18 and will be due Feb. 22. The city auditor's office is also scheduled to be hosting several public application information session meetings in January throughout the city. For meeting dates, times and locations, visit www.austintexas.gov/department/10-one-events.