Redistricting Jerry Wilson, with the Reapportionment Group 2000 in Lithonia, Georgia, presented a paper on redistricting following the 2000 census. In municipalities, this means that there must be no more than a 10 percent deviation from having an equal population in each district. Greater deviations will only be upheld if they are justified by peculiar local circumstances, such as a desire to respect existing county boundaries. He noted that there is language in some cases that appears to approve a greater than 10 percent deviation in municipal districts unless there is a discriminatory purpose or effect. He noted that some jurisdictions, particularly those that have had problems with having plans approved by the Department of Justice, have had success by involving the community in the redistricting process, perhaps by creating a citizens task force appointed by the council to help review the plan and process.
Public hearings can also allay fears of the public concerning the plan.
Testimonial Privilege Tim Nunnally, Assistant City Attorney in Tuscaloosa, discussed the testimonial privilege of councilmembers. His paper consisted of briefs and the order in the circuit court case of Tuscaloosa News v. Garrison , as well as a list of important cases. The issue in this case was whether councilmembers may be forced to testify at court regarding topics discussed at an executive session. The court ruled that there is no absolute privilege against the discovery of executive session discussions. The court ruled, however, that councilmembers could not be questioned regarding matters involving the character or good name of a man or woman discussed during the executive session.