Overview

• Council Chair Mike Ertel and Councilman Izzy Patoka unveiled an amendment Tuesday that they say yields three majority‑minority West Side districts, introduced just hours before a work session.
• The plan sets Black populations at about 55% and 56% in two districts and roughly 45% in a third, reducing concentrations from an August draft that had about 74% and 61% Black in two districts.
• The amendment leaves the East Side without a majority‑minority district, a persistent concern raised by residents and advocacy groups.
• Public testimony ran for hours and was split, with Councilmen Julian Jones and Pat Young and many residents faulting the compressed timeline and others calling the revisions an improvement.
• Sponsors also emphasize unifying Essex, Middle River and waterfront areas to address shared priorities, with a council vote set for 6 p.m. Monday and an Oct. 1 adoption deadline as legal risks have been flagged previously by the ACLU.