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<br />• Regular Meeting 10/3/79 <br />4. JOINT DISCUSSION WITH CHARTER REVISION <br />APPROVING A DISTRICTING PLAN FOR THE P <br />r: <br /> <br />7 <br />AND CONSIDER <br />NDARY LINES <br />FOR DISTRICTS FOR ELECTION OF COUNCILPERSONS UNDER THE PROPOSED <br />REVISIONS TO THE HOME RULE CHARTER OF THE CITY OF LA PORTE - <br />(CONTINUED <br />Mrs. Kennedy stated that she had one more question. Has a <br />plan already been sent in to the Justice Department? <br />Commissioner Tomerlin stated that a plan had already been submitted <br />a plan with everything except the district lines. <br />Mayor Meza asked Gail Hamilton to continue with her explanation. <br />Gail Hamilton stated that the point we are at right now is: <br />We have already submitted the portions of the language of the <br />Charter to the Justice Department. to ask for approval and we are <br />suppose to, and unless they use a delay tactic, and they have not <br />indicated that they were going to do that, and if they don't we <br />should have an answer back by October 15th; as to whether or not <br />they have approved our changes in wording. That would be the <br />4-2-1. That has already been submitted. If it were the Commissions <br />judgement that we should go to the 6-l; then that would have to be <br />resubmitted. That portion has already been submitted as 4-2-1, <br />with no lines drawn, just the concept of four single member districts, <br />two at large and the Mayor at large. <br />Mrs. Kennedy asked if there were any rules and regulations as to <br />how this would be set up? <br />Gail Hamilton stated that we have what we call common law. That <br />means that over the years the courts have made different determina- <br />tions on what is a fair district. If you are going to draw a <br />district, then you have to go by several constraints. One, they <br />need to be pretty close in population, as equal as practical and <br />the other is that they need to be contiguous and they need not to <br />be gerrymandered. That is a little piece here, a little piece <br />there. <br />A citizen from the audience asked if she had heard right, that a <br />proposal had already been sent in and it was her understanding <br />that Mrs. Riley's proposal was for something; then it wouldn't <br />make any difference what she wanted, the proposal had already <br />been sent in. <br />Gail Hamilton stated yes, unless the Commission wanted to change <br />their minds after it has already been sent in. <br />• <br />