Tuscaloosa Tables Redistricting Vote To Gather Public Feedback

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The Tuscaloosa City Council on Tuesday opted against moving forward on voting for new council district lines following the 2020 Census and instead will now host two public hearings in the coming weeks to allow those in the community to provide their feedback.

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At present, there are two maps being considered. Council President Kip Tyner pointed out that five of the city's seven council districts would be exactly the same with both maps. One map, if approved, would see certain historic neighborhoods kept in District 1, while the alternative would put them back in District 4.

Tyner then said if an agreement can't be reached, the Council will be charged with making the final decision.

The council president, however, did lament the lack of feedback he has received from the community in the process, which is coupled with outcry from local grassroots groups over transparency in the reapportionment process.

"I haven’t gotten one call," Tyner said. "I posted on the Alberta Facebook page and not one call. I’ve been here a long time and that’s never happened."

Tyner initially proposed scheduling two public hearings at City Hall, with the first tentatively scheduled for next Wednesday morning and at 5 p.m. the following week. This date, however, did not work for the Council and no public hearing date has been set.

"We were ready to move forward tonight and I didn’t want anyone saying that we weren't accessible to listen," he said Tuesday after announcing that the redistricting vote had been removed from the evening's City Council meeting agenda.

District 1 Councilman Matthew Wilson, whose district lines are one of the points of contention in the redistricting debate, said it was important to solicit the public's input for a decision that will ultimately impact voters for the next decade and beyond.

Wilson then stressed the importance of informing those of all ages in the community about the process, citing a recent stop in at Westlawn Middle School to speak with its students. During this visit, Wilson said none of the schoolchildren were familiar with redistricting.

"They don’t care and they don’t know because nobody has educated them on knowing the importance of what it means," he said.

District 6 Councilman John Faile, also in his first term in elected office, provided a perspective similar to Tyner's regarding the indifference seen in his district with respect to redrawing district lines.

Tyner also had choice words for those critical of the Council during the redistricting process, as he invited advocates to attend the upcoming public hearings.

"We’re three months into this and the groups that are barking that we haven’t been listening to them, they haven't been here," Tyner said. "I’ll just say that."

One of these groups is Tuscaloosa Action — a local nonprofit whose representatives have been regular fixtures during public comment portions of past city meetings.

Tuscaloosa Action has been chief among local groups, along with the NAACP and Southern Christian Leadership Conference, in calling for transparency during redistricting process across the Tuscaloosa metro. Most recently, the groups lobbied the Tuscaloosa County Commission in a failed attempted to secure district lines viewed as more equitable and diverse.

“According to the 2020 Census, Tuscaloosa’s population is now 52 percent non-white,”
Tuscaloosa Action organizer Mike Altman said in December. “We are a minority-majority city. That doesn’t show up in our representation on city council, however, because two of our districts are racially gerrymandered, and a number of the districts are racially packed.”

Organizers also argue that the alternative map designed by those in the community would create four majority-minority districts, a competitive district, and two majority-white districts.

Tyner expressed his hope on Tuesday that the decision to hold open public hearings will quash questions over transparency on the part of a City Council simply tasked with getting the measure across the finish line.

"I don’t want anybody saying we shoved this down their throats without giving them an opportunity, when indeed the truth is they’ve had three months and chosen not to and here at the last minute they’re trying to hurl accusations — no transparency — and we all know that’s not true."

Tuscaloosa NAACP Branch President Lisa Young previously said the goal of local advocates in their push is to ensure no lines are drawn to protect an elected official's seat, insisting that leaders have failed to make the process an open one.

“We were told there would be public hearings, but so far, there has been none," she said. "When we got the Census count, each council member said they would create a committee, and each councilperson would go out to their constituents and get input. I don’t recall there being any discussion as it relates to the map.”

Click here to view the current proposals by the City of Tuscaloosa and follow Tuscaloosa Patch for more from the public hearings.

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