The city's districting commission's first pass at new council district lines sparked heated discussion when they were released last month – and now observers are anxiously waiting to see how the feedback will shape the final plan presented to the City Council next month.

At a series of public forums held across the city in recent months, community groups, council members and residents expressed concern over the draft districts that they say do not fairly address shifts in population.

"Some of this stuff is just politically obvious what people are trying to do and the commission shouldn't allow these folk having that kind of influence over a process that's supposed to be objective," said Councilman Charles Barron at a public hearing in Brooklyn last week.

There are about 161,000 people in each of the city's 51 districts, a slight uptick as a result of the city's 2 percent population increase, according to NY1.

The city’s redistricting process has historically been spared the animosity generated at the state level since the city prohibits the Council from drawing its own districts – although they appoint those who do.