No hearings yet on Hempstead Town redistricting plan

Hempstead Town officials have not determined whether or when they will hold one or more redistricting hearings — part of the process that will set voting districts for America’s largest township for the next decade.

At Tuesday’s town board meeting, town attorney Joseph Ra said he didn’t know whether a redistricting hearing would take place at the next meeting on March 19, as previously reported. A redistricting map should be crafted by the late May deadline, Ra said.

A consulting firm is analyzing population data to be used by the town attorney’s office in redrawing the six-district map. The Republican-controlled board would then vote on the new map.

District maps are redrawn every 10 years as required by law, to account for demographic changes. The town’s population of nearly 760,000 grew by 0.5 percent from 2000 to 2010.

Residents, Democratic and civic leaders have called for a bipartisan redistricting commission that would hold public hearings in each district.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Franklin Square resident and frequent town critic Felix Procacci asked that the redistricting hearings be streamed live online.

Senior Councilman Anthony Santino said in response, “We’ll take it under advisement.”