Indianapolis, Indiana — On Monday, the president of the City-County Council said the proposed map for redistricting council seats resulted from what he called the most inclusive process in city history.
At their Monday night meeting, which starts at 7 p.m. in the City-County Building, council members will begin discussing the proposed new districts.
The proposed map set aside a single, dedicated council seat for the Fountain Square and Irvington neighborhoods, which currently are divided among multiple council districts. The map also shifts one seat farther south, a potential Republican gain.
On Friday afternoon, the map first became public.
According to Council President Vop Osili, about 200 people had weighed in on the map in total. Although the number of commenters is small relative to Indianapolis’ population — set at 877,903 in the 2020 Census — Osili said their testimony provided good qualitative data for the process.
In a Friday statement, The Marion County Republican Party criticized the use of the law firm Ice Miller to help draw the map, accusing Democrats of drawing them behind closed doors.
According to County party chair Joe Elsener, Hoosiers would not have a chance to hold their leaders accountable for the map without a second round of public hearings.
Members of the public can comment on the map at a committee hearing scheduled for April 12 or provide online comments between now and then, Osili said.
According to Osili, if the council’s rules committee approves the map on April 12, the full council will vote on them on May 2.
