Fifth District County Council member David Marks said that he's "exploring every option" in his power to keep the Country Club of Maryland and the Loch Hill community within the boundaries of the proposed new 5th District.

"But there is only so much I can do," he said Tuesday, just hours before the County Council was expected to discuss the countywide redistricting process.

By law, Baltimore County has to redraw its seven councilmanic districts every 10 years to keep up with the changing census.

A committee formed by the council held hearings over the summer and crafted a proposal for the new lines.

Marks said that in order to adjust the boundary between the 5th and 6th districts — and retain Loch Hill and the country club within the 5th — the council would have to support spilling the precinct that votes at Loch Raven Academy.

The councilman admitted he's finding little support for that kind of change among his fellow council members, and the deadline is looming with a vote scheduled for next Monday, Oct. 3.

"The problem is, the council will not support splitting precincts, because the impact on the budget would be considerable," he said, based on information the council received from the Board of Election Supervisors.

"But I'm going to continue to try," he said. "I'm not closing the door."

He said it appears the only other option might be placing another entire precinct in another district — for example, moving Loch Raven Village to the 6th District, or West Towson to the 2nd — which could be opposed by those neighborhoods.

The prospect of Loch Hill and Glendale-Glenmont being shifted into the 6th District has raised the hackles of residents and community organizations.

Tony Gross, president of the Loch Hill Community Association, said the 144 homes it represents want to remain with Towson and the 5th District.

"The only roads that lead out of Loch Hill take us to Stoneleigh, Idlewylde and Anneslie," he said.

He noted that the community association belongs to the Greater Towson Council of Community Associations, and Loch Hill children attend Stoneleigh Elementary and Dumbarton Middle schools.

"We're concerned about the implications. Stoneleigh Elementary is overcrowded and we don't want to give the school board any reason to take us out of the Stoneleigh school district."

Speaking on Monday, Gross said he expected 75 to 100 Loch Hill residents to show up for the Tuesday council work session.

"That's how big an issue it is for our communty," he said.

Another dispute focuses on the 160-acre Country Club of Maryland, and the possibility it may be part of the area moved from the 5th District to the 6th District.

The Greater Towson Council of Community Associations is "vehemently opposed to such a shift taking place," according to a letter its president, David Kosak, wrote to Marks.

"It is vital that the interests of Towson be represented by one councilperson, especially on our eastern border where neighborhoods have struggled to stay viable."

Kosak pointed out the club, which is bordered by Stoneleigh, Fellowship Forest, Wiltondale and Knollwood-Donnybrook has been the subject of redevelopment plans.

In April 2005, the members-owned club sought to build 56 houses on 16 acres of its land. It took an "unbelievable amount of effort on the part of community representatives, the golf course board and the county" to agree to an alternative plan that everybody could live with, said then-5th District Councilman Vince Gardina. He called the process "brutal."

In 2006, the club agreed to build 36 duplex houses on 12 acres, and exempt about 56 acres from ever being developed.

The club has had the county's seal of approval since then, but has not proceeded with the project because of the economy.

What concerns surrounding neighborhoods is that the club might request a change of zoning that would allow different or a more dense development.

If the club was put in the 6th District, the club would be represented by one council member — while neighborhoods would be represented by another.

"A future 6th District councilperson could make an adverse decision regarding this property with no accountability to the neighborhoods or voters it would directly affect," Kosak said.

Idlewylde is also concerned, said Cynthia Jabs, who serves on the board of the Idlewylde Community Association.

"It's a really terrible idea to put the Country Club of Maryland in a different district from its neighbors. It's an even worse idea to take Loch Hill out of the district in order to do this," Jabs said. "Loch Hill is a Towson neighborhood with kids in Towson schools and adults who actively participate in Towson's affairs.

"This plan would leave our neighborhood and just one other precinct sandwiched in between three separate districts. The county seat deserves better."

The country club itself would prefer to remain in the 5th District, according to general manager Dick Celeste.

"The vast majority of our members live in District 5 or District 3," he said. "We are basically a Towson business. We're active in the Towson Chamber of Commerce and have a close relationship with Towson University."

Marks has heard the hue and cry, he said.

My job is to listen to my constituents. That eastern part of Towson wants to remain in the district, and I am doing my best to accommodate them."

"This may include an area I didn't win in the last election, but it's the right thing to do."

The County Council is scheduled to vote Oct. 3 on new boundaries, which become effective in time for the next elections in 2014.

(Look for updates online at http://www.explore baltimorecounty.com.)