NATCHEZ — The U.S. Department of Justice has requested additional information from the city about its redistricting plan, a request that could potentially delay the upcoming Natchez Board of Aldermen elections.

Natchez City Attorney Everett Sanders said the department requested the information Tuesday, which was the last day of the 60 days the department has had to review the plan since it was submitted on Dec. 21. The department’s letter to the city said the 60-day review period will begin again once the department receives the requested additional information.

The department’s letter said the information in the city’s submitted plan was not enough for the department to determine that the plan does not deny or reduce any person’s right to vote on account of race.

Sanders said he is planning to send the city’s response letter, which was completed by Sanders and the city’s redistricting consultant, to the department today.

Mississippi is governed by Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which means the justice department must pre-clear the city’s redistricting plan. The city’s plan must be pre-cleared by March 1 in order to avoid a delay of the Natchez Board of Aldermen election because no district lines can be moved 60 days before an election.

The city’s primary election is May 1, and the plan does not affect the citywide elections for mayor, city clerk or municipal judge.

The city’s redistricting consultant, Bill Rigby of Holland & Rigby, said Friday almost all of the information the department has requested from the city was included in the city’s original submission.

The submitted redistricting plan was adopted by the Natchez Board of Aldermen on Oct. 27 and maintains the three majority black wards and three majority white wards of the previous redistricting plan adopted in 2000. Redistricting is done every 10 years when the U.S. Census is completed.

In the letter, the department asked for nine additional pieces of information that include:

• A detailed description of any formal or informal guidance or instructions during the redistricting process given to Rigby by any city officials.

• Any alternative plans submitted to the city and an explanation of how the city determined the adopted plan was better than the alternative plan.

• All documents and communication among city officials, employees, Rigby or members of the public about the alternative and proposed plan.

• A detailed description of the city’s efforts to secure the views of city residents regarding the redistricting plan and the race and contact information of any residents who made public comments.

The city’s response letter, which was provided by Rigby, directs the department to the specific location of the requested information in the city’s submission packet and also provides further details about the information.

In the response letter, Rigby includes information about separate meetings he had with Ward 5 Alderman Mark Fortenbery and Ward 6 Alderman Dan Dillard, Ward 4 Alderman Ernest “Tony” Fields and Ward 3 Alderman Bob Pollard and Ward 2 Aldermen James “Rickey” Gray and Ward 1 Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis.

Rigby said that at the meetings he answered the aldermen’s general questions about redistricting, they discussed possible changes to existing ward lines to equalize the city’s population and he reviewed proposed changes in original working drafts of the plan.

In the response letter regarding the request for the correspondence, Rigby said he nor any city official, except for Mathis, have any letters or e-mails regarding the proposed or alternative plans. The letter says Mathis has indicated she will submit any correspondence she has through her personal attorney.

The alternative plan that was included in the city’s submission of its adopted plan was submitted to Rigby by Mathis from her personal e-mail on Oct. 24. The alternative plan was submitted as part of the required public comment section of the submission.

Mathis said in October that she had worked with the Natchez chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on the alternative plan for a year. Sanders said Thursday the city is going to do it its best to provide the department with the information it needs to avoid delaying the aldermen election.

“We are going to provide them any information they need so they can get the full picture and understanding of the plan,” he said.

Rigby said the department’s request put the city further behind schedule on getting the plan approved, but he said the plan could still be approved in time for the elections to happen as planned.

“It’s not that big of a deal, it just puts us a little bit further behind schedule,” he said.