ICRC Timeline

February 2031

 

Full commission of 14 members is formed. Select chair and vice chair.
 

March 2031

 

Prior to census release date, hire all staff, including the executive director, administrative manager, general counsel, and mapping specialist.

April-June 2031

 

Hold 10 public forums, one in each Austin City Council district, prior to approving a preliminary map.

July-September 2031

 

Receive feedback on the preliminary map through four public meetings, then publicly deliberate changes.

October-December 2031

 

Approve and certify the final map, then develop and submit the final report to the City Clerk’s office.
 

View 2031 ICRC detailed timeline. (PDF)

Learn More About the Process

How We Operate

The Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (ICRC) uses various criteria and procedures to determine Austin City Council district boundaries. The following documents inform the rationale for redistricting outcomes and help the ICRC ensure an open, fair, and transparent process.

  • Austin City Charter – Article II. –The Council; Section 3: The ICRC stringently abides by the seven redistricting criteria provided by the charter.
  • 2020 U.S. Census: The ICRC shifted boundaries and reapportioned based on population changes reflected in the decennial U.S. census. 
  • Voting Rights Act of 1965: This act prohibits voting practices and procedures, including redistricting plans, that discriminate on the basis of race, color, or membership in a language minority group. It ensures the protection of minority opportunity districts based on census data so that citizens may vote for a candidate of their choice. 
  • Texas Open Meetings Act: This act makes governmental decision-making accessible to the public. It requires meetings of governmental bodies to be open to the public, except for expressly authorized closed sessions, and to be preceded by public notice of the time, place, and subject matter of the meeting. Also see: City of Austin Open Meetings, Federal Government Open Meetings
  • Public Information Act: The Public Information Act (PIA) provides a mechanism for citizens to inspect or copy government records. It also provides that governmental bodies may withhold government records from the public in specific instances. The PIA generally requires a governmental body to release information in response to a request for information. Also see: City of Austin Open Records Act Information
  • ICRC Values: The 2021 Commission collaborated on a shared set of values and norms that guided the work. The document was created by the ICRC on July 7, 2021 as a North Star to not only guide current and future commissioners, but also serve as a reminder of the redistricting process where citizens are in charge rather than politicians. 
  • Robert's Rules of Order: The parliamentary procedure followed by the ICRC is based on the consideration of the rights of the majority, minority (especially a large minority greater than one-third), individual members, absentee members, and all of these groups taken together.

Public Input 

While the 14 volunteer commissioners of the ICRC are charged with the actual work of redrawing the City Council district map, the final product required public input.

Since the 2021 ICRC’s full formation in June, commissioners spent 23 hours in meetings, hosted 20 public forums and 173 attendees, listened to 82 speakers, and collected 70 maps, 187 emails, and nine voice messages. Austin residents were able to contact the ICRC via:

  • Email: icrc.commissioners@austintexas.gov
  • Websites: SpeakUp Austin!, Redistrict ATX
  • Mail: Housing and Planning Department, Attn: ICRC, P.O. Box 1088, Austin, TX 78767
  • Phone: 512-710-5329
  • Submission of maps: via email or online form
  • Submission of library worksheets: at public libraries                   
  • Speaking at public forums: As per City Charter regulation 3. (K) (7), the ICRC hosted three separate phases of an open public forum process to gather public input and listen to deliberation.
    • Phase 1: Commissioners gathered public input by hosting 12 public forums before the commission voted and approved a preliminary redistricting plan. Due to several obstacles (global pandemic, February freeze, late census data, and shortening of public engagement timeframe), the ICRC added two extra public forum dates.
    • Phase 2: After the commission approved the preliminary plan, they hosted five public forums (one more than mandated by the charter) in each of the four Travis County precincts and one virtual forum and displayed the preliminary plan at each forum. As mandated, written public comment was taken for 14 days from the date of public display of the approved preliminary plan.
    • Phase 3: The ICRC voted on a proposed final plan and held three final public forums, one north of Lady Bird Lake, one south of Lady Bird Lake, and one virtually, which was one more than mandated by the charter. After five days of written public comments, the commission adopted a final plan on Oct. 27, 2021.

How Annexation and Disannexation Work

Annexation is the process by which cities extend their municipal services, regulations, voting privileges, and taxing authority to new territory in order to manage the growth and development of a city. Disannexation is the undoing of the process.

The City of Austin annexes areas in order to:

  • Apply zoning and development standards, including environmental protection.
  • Create efficiencies in service delivery, particularly for public safety services.
  • Maximize the return on the City’s investment in infrastructure and business incentives.
  • Protect and expand the tax base.
  • Provide municipal services beyond those available in rural areas.

Municipal annexations must follow the procedures outlined by the Texas Local Government Code. Annexation laws and procedures were changed significantly effective Dec. 1, 2017

Your community may not be listed on the ICRC map because it was not annexed prior to these last maps being updated. This means it is not part of the Austin City map.

You can find out if your property was annexed online or call the Austin Housing and Planning department at 512-974-3100.

Future annexations

The ICRC will meet as needed through 2030 to incorporate any annexed or disannexed areas in the city limits. Find out how to request annexation for your community. 

How Commissioners Are Selected 

In 2013, Austin became the first city in the country to have city council districts drawn through the volunteerism of a completely independent group of residents. This change altered the city’s election system and provided a potential model for cities nationwide thanks to the 2013 ICRC paving the path. 

The ICRC was formed after Austin voters approved a petition-driven, voter-approved charter amendment that implemented 10 geographic districts and required an independent commission to create those districts in 2012. It is called a "10-1" council structure with an at-large election for mayor. The charter also set the standard for how commissioners would be selected.

On Oct.1, 2020, the city auditor appointed an Applicant Review Panel made up of three CPAs, who selected the first eight ICRC commissioners. First, the panelists culled the 270 ICRC commissioner applications received to 267. These applicants met the minimum requirements of the charter, such as having lived and voted in Austin for the last five years, while also having no ties to city or state politics or political parties. From that group, the panelists selected 60 of the most qualified applicants.

The City Auditor’s office randomly selected eight commissioners from the qualified pool on Jan. 22, 2021. Those eight commissioners then chose six additional applicants from the qualified pool, bringing the ICRC to a body of 14 members by June 30, 2021.  

The 2021 ICRC is a diverse group of Austin residents in experience, age, and race/ethnicity, not only reflecting the diversity of Austin but also ensuring all 10 city districts are represented on the commission. Learn more about the commissioners and their backgrounds.

Commission Meetings

Public comment was allowed in person at ICRC regular commission meetings. All speakers had to register in advance and identify the subject matter to be discussed up to 20 minutes after the start of the meeting. All public comment occurred at the beginning of the meeting or throughout the meeting where appropriate. View ICRC public meeting agendas and documents.