Final public hearing set on redistricting

Suffolk residents will have their last chance for public comment on the redistricting plan during this week’s City Council meeting.

A final public hearing is set for the meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday in City Council chambers, 441 Market St.

A work session will begin at 4 p.m. and include discussions on severe weather preparedness, public transit and the quarterly budget projection report.

The contentious redistricting process resulted in an approved map that would unseat a City Council member and two School Board members. It featured seven public comment sessions in the seven boroughs — including one that drew more than 100 attendees — and a public hearing where 29 people spoke against the proposed plan.

Some groups and individuals, including jilted City Councilman Leroy Bennett and School Board member Thelma Hinton, as well as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, already have submitted packages to the U.S. Department of Justice opposing the city’s plan.

The plan, which opponents say dilutes the black vote, drew accusations of racism during the last public hearing.

This public hearing will be on the entire plan, including boroughs, precincts and polling places. The previous public hearings have focused only on the separate components.

Also on the City Council agenda is a resolution to adopt the 2012 legislative agenda for the city.