All of the redistricting plans for Salisbury’s City Council elections are now off the table.
In their stead there two new plans.
One would create three council districts.
Two would be majority-minority districts while the third would be an at large district with three council members.
A second proposal would create a two-district map that combines the two minority-majority districts but with two representatives.
The city is working with the American Civil Liberties Union which had threatened legal action unless there was expansion of minority representation.
The Salisbury Daily Times reports that the ACLU could not be reached for comment on the latest plans.
Council President Terry Cohen said the two plans achieve a compromise and pay a lot of attention to factors brought up during the public input sessions.
She said that with either plan the existing majority-minority district would be enlarged to take into account the growing minority population in the city.
The latest census found that African Americans make up 34.4 percent of the city’s population compared to only 16 percent when the existing two district structure was drawn up in 1986 court approve plan to provide minority representation on the council.
The council majority voted down a five-district, single representative plan which Cohen called too disruptive.
