§ 7.10. Establishment, review and revision of Council District boundaries.

(a)

The City is divided into five (5) districts, known as Districts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 as described in the Judgment of United States District Court in Fabela v. City of Farmers Branch, No. 3:10-CV-1425-D (N.D. Tex.) (January 31, 2018).

(b)

The Council shall appoint a redistricting commission, starting in January 2022, and every ten (10) years thereafter, to review the District boundaries in order to maintain a substantial equality of population in each District. The redistricting commission shall advise the Council, which shall within six (6) months after appointment fix the boundaries of the Districts by ordinance, if necessary. The Mayor and each member of the Council shall appoint at least one member of the redistricting commission. The Council shall designate the chair of the redistricting commission. In making such appointments, the Council shall, as nearly as may be practicable, provide fair and balanced representation of all geographical areas of the city in the redistricting process and provide a total membership that reflects the racial and ethnic makeup of the city's population. Members of the redistricting commission shall be appointed to serve a term that will end upon completion of the redistricting commission's work. Persons appointed to the redistricting commission must be qualified voters and meet the qualifications for service on a City board. A member of the Council is not eligible for appointment to the redistricting commission. A member of the redistricting commission is not eligible to be a candidate for Council in the next succeeding general election of the city, and may not be appointed or elected to the Council for a period of one year after service on the redistricting commission.

(c)

The redistricting commission shall draw the districts in compliance with the following guidelines:

(1)

The districts shall be substantially equal in population according to the total population count as presented in the census data, except where deviation is required to comply with federal law or is allowable by law;

(2)

In addition to the requirements of federal law, there shall be no discrimination on the basis of race, color, or membership in a language minority group, and the voting strength of racial, ethnic, and language minorities in the districts shall not be diluted to deprive minority voters of an equal opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice;

(3)

The districts shall be geographically compact, to the extent possible, and composed of contiguous territory;

(4)

The reconfiguration of districts shall be neutral as to incumbents or potential candidates; and

(5)

To the extent practicable, communities of interest shall be placed in a single district and attempts should be made to avoid splitting neighborhoods, where possible, without violating the other requirements or applicable laws.

( Ord. No. 3503, Exh. A, 5-15-2018 )