14-PROPOSAL FOR CITY MANAGER TO ENTER INTO AGREEMENT WITH OUTSIDE CONSULTANT FOR REDISTRICTING ANALYSIS

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Our program provides these options without additional unbudgeted costs. Reasonable reapportionment decisions require reasonable alternatives. Be aware that a lower priced program may restrict the number of alternative plans you can consider. If retained, we will prepare a comprehensive plan for the reapportionment process which will insure that the City meets all requirements for timely preclearance by the United States Department of Justice of a reapportionment plan for the City Council that is harmonious with county created election precincts. Our program is comprehensive, and will include all necessary services, as follows: l. An initial "workshop" to explain the process to executive members of the governmental subdivision, and any staff or support personnel to be involved in the work. 2. Drafting of redistricting criteria by which contending reapportionment plans will be scored or judged. This preliminary work may be performed, with our assistance, by the executive board of the political subdivision, i.e. the City Council or School Board, or by a Citizens Committee appointed to assist the governing board. A citizens committee is sometimes utilized to avoid politization of the reapportionment process, and to provide additional input to the elected officials. 3. Drafting of all required multi-language legal notices, documents and supporting charts and maps for all necessary hearings, procedures and submissions. Please note that the Department of Justice has recently required more stringent evidence of compliance with the minority language aspects of a submission. We will provide all required notices for publication, and explicit instructions on publication requirements to comply with the federal law. Please note that the cost of publication will be the responsibility of your entity; such costs being outside our agreement. 4. Once the census data is released in early 2011, we will conduct an "Initial Assessment" of your existing political boundaries to determine if these boundaries satisfy legal requirements imposed by either constitutional or statutory requirements. For example, the first assessment will determine whether the 2011 population with existing boundaries remains within the "one-person-one-vote" constitutional standard. This standard generally requires that each political boundary represented on the local government's governing body be roughly equal in terms of population. Over time, populations grow, decline, or shift unequally within the political boundaries of the local governmental entity. This evaluation will include a written analysis of the population within your present boundires. 5. If the Initial Assessment reveals a need for reapportionment, we will make that determination and advise you of the need to redraw your political boundaries. If your existing boundaries remain in compliance with state and federal law, you will not be required to redraw your political boundaries. Our initial retainer of $1,500.00 will cover the cost of the Initial Assessment. 6. Federal law requires that any change of political boundaries to address population equality must also satisfy the Voting Rights Act, which requires that population demographics be considered in the drafting of political boundaries to avoid adverse impact upon minority populations. Finally, the structure of political boundaries must also comply with applicable state law, which does not permit overlapping election precincts .~_Oti