?The Metro Council approved its redistricting plan Thursday, voting 6-0 in favor of a revised version of the map known as Option 3.
The final version of Option 3 included minor changes in the Sellwood and Cedar Mill areas. It will take effect when councilors are sworn in in 2013.
Councilors said the map wasn't perfect, but was a good option.
"The best solution is impossible," said Councilor Carl Hosticka.
For example, said Councilor Shirley Craddick, concerns from representatives Maywood Park were difficult to address. The city's mayor wrote a letter earlier this month asking to stay in Craddick's District 1 (see story, May 10). But with Craddick's district gaining population, such a move was difficult, she said. The town was moved into District 5.
"I'm disappointed I'll be losing Maywood Park," Craddick said. "I wish we could have accommodated Mayor Hardie's request."
The adopted map addressed some concerns from the Sellwood neighborhood, which Metro staff had proposed to split between districts 2 and 6 at Tacoma Street.
The district boundary was moved to the Clackamas-Multnomah county line, a few blocks south, in the adopted proposal.
The new map has only two districts that don't cross county lines - District 4, represented by Kathryn Harrington, is exclusively in Washington County; Barbara Roberts' District 6 is exclusively in Multnomah County. That prompted Councilor Rex Burkholder, whose District 5 picks up the Cedar Mill area in Washington County, to talk about the regional nature of the council - even suggesting that there may come a time that Clark County needs a voice on the board.
"It would be great to have that viewpoint around the table," he said. "I'm not encouraging annexation of Vancouver, though we do work quite closely together. There are times we wish we could work more closely together in our desire to make everyone's life better in the whole region, regardless of political boundaries."