St. Martinville – Redistricting the city to comport with 2010 Census numbers will be a breeze compared to St. Martinville’s contentious past, Mayor Thomas Nelson told the City Council Monday.

However, he said he would still feel more comfortable having a professional demographer crunch the numbers.

The council authorized the mayor to seek a quote from Mike Hefner, the demographer who aided the Parish Council and is working with the School Board.

The city already has a quote from demographer Cedric Floyd.

Population here fell from 6,989 in 2000 to 6,114 in 2010. But the reduction is disproportionately borne by Districts 1, 3, 4 and 5.

“Craig’s (District 2 Councilman Craig Prosper) district is up 135, so he’ll have to give some up,” Nelson said.

Minority protests and the involvement of the U.S. Department of Justice resulted in the suspension of council elections for more than a decade in the 1990s.