NATCHEZ — The city’s new redistricting plan is scheduled to be sent to the U.S. Department of Justice today — nearly a month after the deadline the city set to submit the plan.

The plan should still have enough time to receive preclearance from the justice department so the Natchez Board of Aldermen elections are not delayed, said Bill Rigby of Holland and Rigby, the firm the city hired to prepare the plan.

Rigby said the department typically likes to have 60 days to approve a plan. He said Monday afternoon everything in the plan had been verified, and he was making final copies to be sent this morning.

The plan will need to be approved by March 1 because the aldermen’s primary election is May 1, and no district lines can be changed 60 days before an election.

Natchez City Attorney Everett Sanders has said he wanted the plan sent to the justice department by Nov. 18.

Rigby said there has been a delay in sending the plan because he has been awaiting the plan’s approval from the offices of the secretary of state, the attorney general and the governor.

Rigby said the city is still asking for expedited approval from the department, so election commissioners will have adequate time to notify residents if their voting district has been changed.

Rigby also said expedited approval is preferred because the slightest error in paperwork or missing information could cause a delay in approval. He said the department could add additional time to its usual 60 days if it needs additional information or corrected paperwork.

“But I see no problems with this plan getting pre-clearance,” he said. “We have double-checked and verified everything.”

The aldermen voted 3-3 to adopt the new redistricting plan on Oct. 27. The plan maintains three majority black wards and three majority white wards as in the previous plan.