Major questions face Metro if council is shrunk

Here are the monumental logistical questions facing Metro leaders should the appeal to the Supreme Court fail.

How many at-large members

The current council consists of five at-large seats representing the entire county and 35 district seats representing smaller sections of town.

• If the council is reduced to 20, city leaders will have to determine how many at-large seats should remain. Some council members want to keep five at-large seats, while others have mentioned three or two.
• There figures to be some members who push for eliminating the at-large roles altogether and forming a council with 20 district seats.

Staffing and funding

The most time-consuming part of a district council member's job is dealing with zoning applications and constituent services.

• If the council shrinks, meetings, texts and emails double. That could lead to needing more staff and paying the council members higher salaries.
• Increasing the pay creates the possibility of the council being effectively a full-time job, compared to the part-time job it is for most members now.

How to draw the district lines

Metro already goes through redistricting every decade, and typically the lines are drawn so that incumbent members don't have to run against each other in the next election.

• It will be impossible to maintain that approach with just 20 seats. It could lead to intriguing match-ups on the ballot in 2027.
• A guiding principle in drawing the lines will be maintaining the percentage of minority representatives on the council.

Flashback: In 2023, the Planning Department released proposed maps for a 20-person council. The maps were moot because Metro won the initial court challenge and the law was struck down.

• Revisiting the old maps is a guide to what the new council districts could look like.

All eyes on 2027

If the council is cut in half, as many anticipate, it will create a political battle royale for the city in 2027.

• In the last election two years ago, business groups faced off against progressive activist organizations in backing different candidates in Metro Council races. Overall, the progressive groups won that battle, flexing their grassroots organizing strength to overcome the fundraising advantage of the pro-business organizations.
• Both sides will be eager to put everything they have into winning control of the new council in two years.

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