Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

The City Districting Commission released an initial draft of the City Council district map at a City Hall meeting today. The map is based on census data and also adjusted for City prison populations. The new map is available online and a hard copy will soon be available to the public in main library branches throughout the five boroughs, according to a statement released by the Commission.

Commission members were presented with the preliminary draft, on which the next cycle of hearings will be based. The next step is for members of the public to present testimony based on this first drawing. Chairman Benito Romano said many more views still need to be presented given the districting’s significance in coming years. The Commission encourages members of the public to come forward and express their views on the preliminary draft.

The dates for the second round of public hearings are listed below, while times and locations will be updated on the Commission’s website.

Tuesday, October 2nd
Thursday, October 4th
Tuesday, October 9th
Wednesday, October 10th
Thursday, October 11th

—Alissa Fleck