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Regular Council Meetrng <br />July 9, 2001 <br />Page 3 <br />respect the existing neighborhoods or other community interests. It is a <br />legitimate concern to protect incumbents, meaning leave the incumbent in the <br />district that they reside in now, preserving the core of their existing district <br />where possible. Mr. Bass said it is also an obligation under the Voting Rights <br />Act that minority voting rights be protected. He noted, however, that Shaw vs. <br />Reno held that you must continue to avoid dilution or fragmentation of the <br />minority voting population, but the standards that were applied before have <br />been modified. It is no longer required that you maximize minority districts. <br />Benchmarks established under prior law, where political gerrymandering or <br />racial gerrymandering was done may be suspect. Districts that have a bizarre <br />appearance or appear to link communities of interest that really have nothing <br />in common may be scrutinized. Mr. Bass advised that race may no longer be <br />a predominant factor in reapportionment, and, if it is considered, it must be <br />narrowly tailored to address voting rights issues. <br />Mr. Bass advised that what they would do is take the city population and <br />divide by the number of seats on the City Council, which would give an ideal <br />district size. He would count the population in each of the existing districts <br />and compare that to the ideal size. Mr. Bass said they would rank them largest <br />to smallest and compare the percentage of deviation between the largest and <br />smallest district and if the combined percentage of the top and bottom districts <br />exceed ten percent, then the city would be required to redraw the boundaries. <br />If redistricting is required the city has several duties. You have to achieve <br />balance, but in the process you should not retrogress. You should not <br />fragment minority population. Mr. Bass said most of the steps have been <br />accomplished by assembling maps of the existing districts, identifying polling <br />places, looking at the application of state law to the existing and any proposed <br />boundaries. He said that some of those duties are imposed on the county as <br />the Commissioner's Court is the one that creates election precincts and the <br />county must honor the city districts. <br />Mr. Bass advised the City Council that often a governmental unit will appoint <br />a Citizens Advisory Committee. It is not required, but it is recommended. He <br />