Time is running out for Baltimore County’s redistricting commission to settle on a new councilmanic district map.

After nearly a dozen meetings, plus three public hearings to hear feedback from residents who want a say in the future of Baltimore County, the seven-member commission is working to hone in on a final recommendation to give to the Baltimore County Council.

Under a resolution passed last year, commission members have until June 13 to make a decision. And whatever map they pick will have to stand up to legal scrutiny.

But reaching a consensus has not been easy. The commission is still struggling to narrow down what draft redistricting maps it wants to keep considering at its final two commission meetings in early June.

Tasked with drawing nine new councilmanic districts, commission members have been guided by common goals — creating councilmanic districts that better reflect the diversity of the county, increasing representation for its growing population of people of color and trying to keep existing communities together.

“The thing before us right now is that we have to make sure there’s nine councilmanic districts when we finish, and no matter how we look at it, somebody’s going to be upset,” Al Harris, a Rosedale resident who represents the current District 6 on the commission, said Wednesday.

Several drafts have been created, though levels of support from commission members and county residents vary.

The first draft plan the commission published includes two majority Black districts and one majority-minority district made up of racial and ethnic minorities.A second map created by Lisa Belcastro, a Pikesville resident who represents the existing District 2 on the commission, proposes two majority-Black districts centered on Randallstown and Owings Mills, as well as two districts made up of people from various racial and ethnic backgrounds.

A third map, known as the Woodlawn Approach C, has also gained significant support from county residents, particularly from those who live on the western side. Created by Keith Dorsey, Baltimore County’s former budget chief, the plan would create two majority-Black districts around Woodlawn and Randallstown and a simple majority-minority district on the east side of the county.

Others have favored a 3-1-5 approach put forth by the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland — three majority-Black districts on the west side of the county, one majority district made up of racial and ethnic minorities on the east side, and five majority-white districts.

Two additional maps produced by commission members were brought up at Wednesday’s meeting, though they haven’t been formally released.

Ed Kramer, a Middle River resident who represents the current District 7 on the redistricting commission, proposed a plan to create two majority-Black districts and two districts of racial and ethnic minorities. Commission chair Eric Rockel, who lives in Lutherville and represents the existing District 3, drafted a plan to create one majority-Black district and three districts made up of racial and ethnic minorities.

Where do things stand now?

With a wide array of maps to review and narrow their focus on, including hundreds of comments from county residents, the redistricting commission is facing a tough next two weeks as it tries to come to a consensus.

Whatever redistricting map is adopted will need to comply with the Voting Rights Act. Some have said, however, that the commission’s first draft map is not compliant with federal law, and others have warned that the county could be subject to another lawsuit if it doesn’t adopt a map that aligns with it.

Those warnings echo a pattern of tension and controversy that has marked discussions about the expanding council, even before county voters approved the ballot question in November to create a nine-member council.

In 2021, for instance, civil rights organizations and county residents sued Baltimore County over a redistricting map they said violated federal voting rights laws. A federal judge threw out that map but approved a redrawn map of council boundaries. The more recent efforts to enlarge the legislative body raised concerns that the initial redrawing of council boundaries could violate federal civil rights laws, too.

The expansion, the council’s first in seven decades, comes amid a growing population, one that has become considerably more diverse, too— the county’s population is nearly 50% people of color.

Another aspect coming into play is the preservation of communities on both sides of the county that have long been in the same council district. Many residents have spoken out against shifting some Catonsville and Arbutus-area communities into a different district, for example, while others have advocated in favor of plans that unify Essex and Middle River.

“We’re going to have, unfortunately, communities that are going to be separated,” Kramer said Wednesday.

Taking Catonsville, for instance, some commission members seemed to favor keeping that community intact.

“I would like to see Catonsville remain whole, and I am in agreement with the conversation regarding equity and the resources and the continuous, compact community,” said Michelle Davis, who lives in Windsor Mill and represents the existing District 1.

Belcastro, whose proposed map would have divided Catonsville, said plans to keep that area together under Kramer’s proposed map were great, but honed in on increasing opportunities for a more diverse elected body.

“We have the opportunity to shift how this county is drawn, to create districts that allow more diverse individuals to rise into positions of power and to meet the diversity of our county,” she said. “It’s great when communities can stay together, but we have to also strike a balance and rise to the moment that we’re in and the opportunity that we have.”

While sacrifices will likely need to be made, where they will come remains uncertain. And while the slew of redistricting proposals shows multiple ways to increase representation for the county’s changing demographics, no clear favorite has emerged, though the commission agrees it’s time to tailor their focus.

“Tonight was important, and we made some progress, but it’s not as much progress as I’m happy with having,” Rockel said Wednesday. “That’s my personal opinion — I’m one of seven commission members. We’ve got to keep moving forward.”

The County Council must adopt a final redistricting plan by Oct. 1.

Have a news tip? Contact Natalie Jones at najones@baltsun.com.