Crockett council tables Powell Law redistricting engagement, directs meeting with school district

The Crockett City Council on a majority vote declined to approve an immediate engagement with Powell Law Group to redraw precinct boundaries and instead voted to table the matter while arranging a formal meeting with the Crockett Independent School District.

City staff told the council that the school district’s recent adoption of new precinct lines using 2020 census data produced boundaries that no longer align with the city’s historical precincts, a condition staff said could cause voter confusion if left unaddressed. The staff presentation said the proposed redistricting plan would create five single-member districts, including two districts with African American majorities and a third district that is approximately 50% African American.

A council motion to approve an engagement agreement with Powell Law Group failed after discussion. Councilmembers then proposed, and later approved, a motion to table the item and direct staff to schedule a meeting between city officials and the Crockett ISD to attempt alignment before returning the issue to the council agenda.

Council members and staff repeatedly emphasized the legal obligation flowing from a court order tied to an earlier lawsuit that required the city and the school district to coordinate districting to ensure minority representation where appropriate. Staff said the same firm that produced the school district’s maps could work with the city to break out the census data and present options; council asked that any plan return for council legal review before adoption.

The tabling motion passed and council directed staff to set a timely intergovernmental meeting; the council will reconsider the engagement or an alternative after that conversation.