N&R reports “what began as a relatively sedate City Council meeting Tuesday night ended in further rancor over redistricting.”

Specifically, council member Tony Wilkins brought up the $136,000 tab (so far) for “litigation and lobbying” costs” to the the council’s legal fight against HB 263, the council redistricting bill passed by the General Assembly earlier this year.

Wilkins raised the point because fellow council member Mike Barber “revealed that the council, in a closed session earlier this summer, had estimated the total cost of fighting the redistricting law would be between $250,000 and $500,000.” Highly likely, since Concerned Citizens for Fair elections—headed by former Guilford County Commissioner Skip Alston and former state Rep. Earl Jones —-is set on defending the bill in court, going so far as to send Attorney General Roy Cooper a letter requesting the AG’s office defend it in court.

Watch video below—–debate between Wilkins and Barber wasn’t quite as rancorous as the N&R might have readers believe. If anything, Barber attempted to deflect the issue instead of engaging in a serious discussion and debate.