There is now another proposal on the table for a Baltimore City Council redistricting map. President Nick Mosby introduced an alternative to the Committee of the Whole during a council hearing on Monday after taking into consideration “hundreds” of comments that his office received via email and a series of two town halls.

Mosby’s map keeps most of the elements of the first proposal, put forward by Mayor Brandon Scott last month, including a goal of having close to 42,000 people in each of the 14 councilmanic districts.

Each district, Mosby said, “fits into those buckets of continuity, compactness” but the most important goal was “keeping communities together under one district, and ensuring that we can be as equitable with resources and assets as much as possible.”

The plan is for the council to vote in committee on Thursday and then do the final vote in a special meeting also on Thursday. There is a community meeting for public comment scheduled on Wednesday for 6 p.m.

On Monday, the mayor’s office pushed back against that timeline. They claimed they did not see a copy of the new proposal until 15 minutes before the committee’s hearing.

“The new timeline would dramatically decrease the time for community input on the Council President’s amended version of the proposed map. We believe that 48 hours does not provide the Administration, Council, or constituents enough time to alert the public or review the map,” wrote Marvin James, the mayor’s chief of staff, to Mosby in a letter on Monday.

The mayor’s office also objected to Mosby’s exclusive use of Tony Fairfax of CensusChannel LLC. “Mr. Fairfax is not an agreed-upon consultant of the Mayor’s office, a government employee of Baltimore City,” wrote James who also claimed that Fairfax does not have an obligation to ensure a proposal meets the legal specifications set forth by the City Charter.

In the letter, James also asserts that not all city councilmembers had the opportunity to be consulted on the amended map. Although nearly all members of the council were in attendance at Monday’s hearing, there were virtually no questions asked.

Mosby responded to the mayor's office in a letter sent late Monday afternoon.

"The amendments proposed on Oct. 16 were introduced after extensive and vigorous community engagement. The Council hosted multiple town halls and public forums where you and your team were encouraged to participate," wrote Mosby, who went on to note that the charter gives limited time for review, feedback, and public comment on proposed amendments.

"A mutually agreed upon timeline is optimal for the integrity of the process. Following the passage of proposed amendments on Thursday, City Council requests that you agree to take action by the conclusion of the Council Meeting on November 6, and not run the clock out on the Council’s ability to override a potential veto. This would be an additional seven days beyond what our offices previously agreed to, allowing your team more time to review the amendments," wrote the president.

Notably, in Mosby’s proposal, Bolton Hill, Morrell Park, Fells Point and Howard Park would all stay unified in one district under the city council’s plan, whereas another map from the mayor, also being considered, had them split. Mosby’s proposal also reunites Highlandtown, just like in the Scott plan. Mosby’s plan keeps Scott’s decision to make sure each district has an “anchor institution,” like a hospital or a university. It also keeps Clifton Park in District 14, taking into consideration concerns from residents of Coldstream-Homewood-Montebello, a neighborhood that directly borders the park, who voiced concern that they would stay in District 14 but the park itself would move into the twelfth district.

District lines must be redrawn to accommodate growth along the harbor and parts of South Baltimore. Most of that growth has been in Districts One and 11 with growth in neighborhoods like Canton and Federal Hill.

The council has until November 17th to pass a plan or the mayor’s map becomes law as per the City Charter. The new boundaries will be in effect for May’s primary election.

Note 10/17/2023: This story has been updated to include Mosby's comments to the mayor's letter, which were released after publication.