Pasco might shrink the number of city council districts next year to help balance the city's ballooning population.

Council members discussed Tuesday sending a tentative redistricting plan to the Franklin County auditor.

But the city doesn't have to implement changes to districts until April, said City Manager Gary Crutchfield.

That gives the city time to consider more drastic changes.

The tentative plan would involve moving one precinct, either 3 or 13, from council District 1 to council District 3, he said.

The city has shifted council district boundaries every two years for the past decade, so no council district has a population difference of more than 10 percent from any other district, Crutchfield said.

Pasco has five council members assigned to districts and two at-large council members.

One way to help with the balancing act would be to decrease the total number of districts, Crutchfield said.

Also Monday:

-- The council reviewed the 2012 proposed $36.1 million operating budget.

The council likely will consider an increase in storm water fees and ambulance utility fees separately from the budget, Crutchfield said.

The proposed budget does assume a 90-cents-per-month increase in storm water utility fees to $3.90 per month.

A public hearing is Dec. 5 for the proposed budget and Monday for the property tax levy.

City staff has proposed not accepting the 1 percent increase in property tax collections allowed by law.