Our notes from the Redistricting Committee

The Redistricting Committee met on September 15, 2021, in the Phoenix Building on Vine Street. The meeting was broken into two major parts: 

1. A full committee discussion about potential scenarios for district shapes
2. Work groups focused on these scenarios

Here's what the full Committee talked about:

The Committee heard a presentation from the city's GIS Department on specific changes in certain districts in Lexington. 

• A central goal of the redistricting process is to have a relatively similar number of people in each District. We learned that as it stands, two Districts - Districts 6 & 7 - are over that threshold, while District 11 is under - this is a complication!
• One of the guidelines for the Redistricting process is that the maps have to be drawn using existing Voting Precincts. We learned that this is presenting some complications to the process...

Redistricting Reading Club Starting Back Up on Tuesday!

This Tuesday, the Redistricting Reading Club starts back up! We'll be going over where Lexington's Redistricting Process is to date and reviewing the public information that LFCUG has made available about the process!

When: Tuesday, September 21 at 5:30pm
Register / Join via Zoom here
Read this:

• LFUCG's Redistricting Lexington website
• CivicLex's Redistricting website
• Bring any questions you may have about where we are in the process to the meeting!

As a reminder: We'll be meeting on zoom every other Tuesday starting September 21st, and going through to Thanksgiving. Instead of covering a single book, our Redistricting Fellow Gabrielle Mason will lead the club through several articles, posts, and websites dedicated to local redistricting. 

Meetings will be on the following Tuesdays at 5:30pm:

• September 21st
• October 5th
• October 19th
• November 2nd
• November 16th

District Highlights: District 1 & 12 over time

As part of our Redistricting Workshops, we're highlighting how Lexington's 12 council districts have changed over the years. This week, we're looking at Districts 1 & 12!

District 1

Lexington’s First Council District represents the Northside of downtown and many neighborhoods north of New Circle Road.

Under the current working scenario, D1 would have 25,976 residents and would be the most diverse district with 40% of the population being African-American and 17% being of Hispanic/Latino ethnicity.

Since 1972, District 1 has grown significantly beyond its original position, which used to solely be the neighborhood known as the East End.

• District 1 went through a significant expansion in 2002, adding the Lexmark campus, part of the Eastland neighborhoods, and growing beyond New Circle Road for the first time.
• In 2012, it grew significantly again, adding the Marlboro-Radcliffe neighborhoods and expanding past I-75/64 for the first time.

District 12

Lexington’s Twelfth Council District represents much of the rural areas of Lexington in addition to some newer neighborhoods.

Under the current working scenario, D1 would have 26,703 residents. It would be one of the least diverse districts with 9% of the population being African-American and 7% being of Hispanic/Latino ethnicity.

District 12 has historically been the rural area of what used to be Fayette County before the city-county merger.

• Since 1972, District 12 has lost a significant amount of land mass as parts of rural Fayette County have been developed.
• Notable changes include the removal of parts of Masterson Station in 1992 and the removal of much of the Hamburg commercial area in 2002.

Save the date: Virtual Redistricting Workshop on Districts 2 & 11!