NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TN Tribune) – As the U.S. Census Bureau finalizes data from the 2020 Census, the Metro Nashville Planning Department is preparing to re-establish boundaries for Metro Council and Metro School Board districts. Today, the Metro Planning Department launched a new redistricting website aimed at educating and engaging the community in this important process.
The website, redistrict.nashville.gov, includes a Redistricting Interest and Community Mapping survey, a timeline of the process, frequently asked questions, and a map of how council and school board districts have changed as Nashville has continued to grow. Metro Planning is beginning community engagement before receiving updated population totals from the U.S. Census Bureau to give the community time to learn about the process. However, it will not begin preparing new district lines until that data is available.
“In addition to things like balanced populations and compactness, we can also think about how people in the county think about their neighborhoods and communities, which is why we want to hear from residents” said Greg Claxton, Planning Manager. “There’s no denying that Nashville is growing, and our process is guided in foundational principles to ensure we see equity in representation across Davidson County.”
Every ten years, after the U.S. Census data is released, Metro Nashville must review and analyze the data to ensure districts are balanced in population and follow traditional redistricting criteria. The Metro Charter assigns responsibility for redistricting to the Planning Commission, which will make its recommendation to the Metro Council for adoption.
These recommendations will only pertain to Metro Council and Metro School districts and will not impact school attendance zones or State or Federal representations.
Residents are encouraged to take the survey now. There will also be opportunities to participate in public workshops later this fall. Metro Planning will continue to work with Metro Council and Metro School Board members to help keep communities informed on the process, as well as share public engagement events.
