A debate over whether the city should redraw City Council district lines has led to a lawsuit, which the Chronicle's Bradley Olson details here. And at ABC 13, Miya Shay has posted the lawsuit.

The issue stems from a 1979 agreement "with the Department of Justice to ensure minorities were fairly represented in local elections," Olson writes.

One requirement: Add two council seats, to the current 14, once the city's population passes 2.1 million.

Demographers, city planners, and Mayor Bill White himself all say the city has reached this point. And the lawyers suing the city say that means the city must begin the process of adding the two council seats; activists say with more seats, black, Hispanic and Asian residents would have a better shot at electing one of their own.

Chron.com:

The city’s determination to wait for new population data from the U.S. Census in 2010 has galvanized some minority leaders, who see the creation of new seats as a chance to increase the diversity on City Council. The issue already has become a hot topic in the mayor’s race, with all three major candidates publicly declaring support for redrawing voting lines right away.

But White and others say the city should wait for the next decennial (2010) census, which will be a more accurate picture of exactly where every man, woman and child in Houston lives. The last such picture was taken in 2000, but it's now nine years out-of-date.

Here's some political subtext, from the Chron's reporting a few weeks ago:

Council members noted that much of the city’s growth that would be addressed in redistricting has happened in west Houston.

“We’re going to have to peel away (new districts) from existing western, white districts,” Councilwoman Anne Clutterbuck said. “The problem with drawing out districts to address a certain population, like a Hispanic population, is Hispanics are scattered across the city.”

Between decennial censuses (like 2000, 2010, etc.), the U.S. Census Bureau prepares population estimates and projections, which local governments use to lobby for federal tax money, plan for schools expansion, and decide where new roads and bridges ought to go. But these estimates aren't as foolproof as the every 10 years count, and they don't drill down to the local-local level.

The Chronicle's forum has brought out a mix of folks: commenters angry about illegal immigration, folks who are concerned about the legal costs to defend the city which will fall to taxpayers, and a discussion of whether 'Hispanic' should be used as a category like 'black' or 'Asian.' (Here's what the Census Bureau means when it says 'Hispanic,' and more insights, found in this data collection for Hispanic Heritage Month.

Check out the Chronicle's forum here.

There's also a fair amount of distrust, given Texas' history of gerrymandered districts. And honest befuddlement: With Obama in the White House, why are we still talking about race?

All legitimate questions, and reasons for city officials to treat the issue with care.

Postscript: If you like numbers, click here for data on Houston maintained by the census bureau.