NATCHEZ — The Natchez Board of Aldermen voted unanimously at their meeting Tuesday — three weeks after a lawsuit was filed on the matter — to start the redistricting process.

Lines defining the city’s six wards haven’t been updated since 2000.

Natchez City Attorney Hyde Carby said the first step is to hire a redistricting consultant to examine voting ages, racial makeup and other statistics of each ward.

“There is a state statute that says after every census you have to redistrict,” Carby said.

The last U.S. Census was taken in 2010, and the city submitted a redistricting plan in December 2011.

That plan was rejected by the U.S. Department of Justice on May 1, 2012, which also happened to be city election day.

Natchez Mayor Butch Brown said he anticipates a new redistricting plan can be created and approved before the city’s next election in May.

Former Natchez Mayor Phillip West, among others, filed on May 22 a federal lawsuit alleging the current voting districts weaken the black vote.

West said Wednesday his goal is the establishment of fair voting districts.

“Those districts that present risks are mal-proportioned, and not in line with the ‘one man, one vote principal,’” West said. “I want the city to take necessary steps and action to not have illegal districts. This lawsuit is to encourage them to proceed with obeying law”

Brown said he doesn’t feel threatened by the lawsuit, and redistricting is a simple requirement the city must meet after every census.

“I consider it as a friendly lawsuit because it’s something we have to do anyway,” Brown said. “I guess it’s like a reminder for the city to redistrict and submit a plan before the end of the year. We’re embracing it and going forward with it.”

Brown said the board was aware that it needed to revisit voting districts before the next election, but “things just piled up, and we weren’t able to get to it.”

“We knew we had to do it, but the notice West sent prompted us to realize that we only have four or five months to get it done,” Brown said.“They gave us a better alert to get it done.”

Once Carby selects a redistricting consultant, Brown said the board would vote to hire that consultant and then appropriate funds from the city attorney’s budget to pay for the consultant.

Brown said as of Wednesday, the city didn’t have a consultant in mind to handle redistricting. However, Brown said he doesn’t think the city will use William Rigby of Holland & Rigby, the consulting firm the city used in 2011.

“I think there was some contentiousness (with Rigby) back in 2011,” Brown said.

The plan submitted in 2011, which had three majority black wards and three majority white wards, was denied pre-clearance because the Department of Justice said it didn’t appropriately reflect the black voting population in Ward 5.

In that previous plan, Wards 1, 2 and 4 had a majority black voting age and population. Ward 1 Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis, Ward 2 Alderman James “Ricky” Gray and Ward 4 Alderman Tony Fields currently represent those three wards.

“The city’s plan did not encompass the growth of the city or the racial diversity,” Arceneaux-Mathis said of the previous plan. “So hopefully the new plan will take that all in to consideration.”

Arceneaux-Mathis also said Wednesday she hopes the board carefully chooses the consulting firm that will draft the new plan.

“A lot of problems came up (with Holland & Rigby),” Arceneaux-Mathis said. “It just completely messed everything up.”

Brown said he expects to have a redistricting plan ready for submission by the first of the year.

“It’s something that’s required, and the city will be in compliance,” he said.

Fields, who was not present at Tuesday’s meeting, did not vote on the matter.