Min 10/22/2001552
Wichita Falls, Texas
Memorial Auditorium Building
October 22, 2001
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The City Council of the City of Wichita Falls, Texas met in special session on the above
date in the Council Room of the Memorial Auditorium Building at 6:30 o'clock p.m., with the
following members present:
Jerry Lueck - Mayor
Bill Altman - Mayor Pro Tern
Arthur Bea Williams - Councilors
Linda Ammons -
James Esther, Jr
Johnny Burns -
Harold Hawkins -
James Berzina - City Manager
Bill Sullivan - City Attorney
Lydia Torres - City Clerk
Also in attendance were the following Redistricting Advisory Committee members: Ruby
Ditto, Ted Drummond, Forrest Ward, James Armendarez, Ted Buss, and Tom Cross.
Mayor called the meeting to order.
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Falls.
City Clerk Lydia Torres gave the invocation.
A public hearing was held to discuss the proposed redistricting plan for the City of Wichita
Mayor declared the public hearing open.
Professor David Guinn gave an overview of the redistricting process and the law relating to
this process. He gave an update on the congressional district boundaries informing that it is now in
the hands of the federal panel.
City Clerk outlined the election precinct boundaries, noting changes and reasons for those
changes. She provided detailed information on the new precinct numbers as well as the proposed
consolidated precincts and polling locations.
Councilor Williams suggested using the auditorium of the Washington /Jackson Math
Science Center instead of the gymnasium. She noted that the stairs posed a problem to the elderly
voters.
Councilor Hawkins suggested not advertising the new voting precincts until after the
November 6 Constitutional Amendment Election.
Councilor Altman expressed concern about consolidating Ben Franklin School and
Midwestern State University because those are two large voting precincts. City Clerk informed that
she had plans to have additional workers in the larger voting precincts during elections. Professor
Guinn informed that Council has the flexibility to change those in the future if the need arises. He
added that any changes would have to be submitted to Department of Justice for clearance.
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Item 3 continued
Councilor Altman commented that it is helpful to reduce the voting precincts from 41 to 26,
the voting places from 17 to 15, and the flexibility to make necessary changes. The coordinated
effort between the City Clerk, Commissioner Griffith, and David Gossom was to try to minimize the
inconvenience to the public that has existed for the past ten years that we have heard so much
about and that is to try to minimize the number of people who have to go to more than one place to
go vote. The City Clerk, Commissioner Griffith and Mr. Gossom have made a great effort to
accomplish this and it is one of the important results.
Mayor called for additional public comments. There being none, the Mayor declared the
public hearing closed.
Item 4(a)
ORDINANCE NO. 102 -2001
ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WICHITA FALLS, TEXAS,
ADOPTING A REDISTRICTING PLAN TO CHANGE THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL
DISTRICT BOUNDARIES; FINDING AND DETERMINING THAT THE MEETING AT
WHICH THIS ORDINANCE WAS PASSED WAS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AS
REQUIRED BY LAW
Moved by Councilor Altman that Ordinance No. 102 -2001 be passed.
Motion seconded by Councilor Williams and carried by the following vote.
Ayes: Mayor Lueck, Councilors Williams, Ammons, Esther, Altman, Burns, and Hawkins
Nays: None
City Council adjourned at 7:20 p.m.
PASSED AND APPROVED this day of X001.
ATTEST:
Lydia Torres
City Clerk
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JERRY LUECK
MAYOR
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