Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES 12-108 RESOLUTION NO. 12-108 RESOLUTION ADOPTING CRITERIA FOR USE IN REAPPORTIONING COUNCILMEMBER WARDS. WHEREAS, the City Council for the City of Beaumont (City Council) has certain responsibilities for creating and revising single-member wards under federal and state law including, but not limited to, the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, and the Voting Rights Act, 42 U.S.C.A. §1973, et seq.; and, WHEREAS, it is the intent of the City of Beaumont (City) to comply with the Voting Fights Act and with all other relevant law, including Shaw v. Reno jurisprudence; and, WHEREAS, a set of established reapportionment criteria and a. defined project timeline, included herein as Exhibit "A," will serve as a framework to guide the City in the oonsideratlen of reapportionment plans; and, WHEREAS, reapportionment criteria will assist the City in its efforts to comply with all applicable federal and state laws. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BEAUMONT: THAT the Statements and findings set out in the preamble to this resolution are hereby, in all things, approved and adopted; and, THAT the City, in its adoption of a reapportionment plan and project timeline for redrawing current City Councilmember ward boundaries, will adhere to the following reapportionment criteria: 1. Where possible, easily identifiable geographic boundaries should be followed. 2. Communities of interest should be maintained in a single ward, where possible, and attempts should be made to avoid splitting neighborhoods. 3. To the extent possible, wards should be composed of whole voting precincts. Where this is not possible or practicable, wards should be drawn in a way that permits the creation of practical voting precincts and that ensures that adequate facilities for polling places exist in each voting precinct. 4. Wards must be configured so that they are relatively equal in total population according to the best available data, including the 2010 federal Census. In no event, should the total deviation between the largest and the smallest ward exceed ten percent (10%). The City will attempt to achieve a deviation that equals less than ten percent (10%), between the largest and smallest ward, using 2010 Census data. 5. The wards should be compact and composed of contiguous territory. Compactness may contain a functional, as well as a geographical dimension. 6. Consideration may be given to the preservation of incumbent-constituency relations by recognition of the residence of incumbents and their history in representing certain areas. 7. The plan should be narrowly tailored to avoid retrogression in the position of racial minorities and language minorities as defined in the Voting Rights Act with respect to their effective exercise of the electoral franchise. 8. The plan should not fragment a geographically compact minority community or pack minority voters in the presence of polarized voting so as to create liability under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. §1973. PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL of the City of Beaumont this the 15th day of May, 2012. - M ay— or&lky Ames - A ST: Tina Broussard, City Clerk I THE CITY OF BEAUM©NT REAPPORTIONMENT PROJECT TIMELINE 1. ,,AM Present initial Assessment results to City Council confirming the need for the City of Beaumont to undergo reapportionment(City Council meeting at 1:30 p.m.). 2. 1.7.-a" City Council considers resolutions ado;*V FteI ppottienment Cfftere, project Omsk*, and Reapportionment Proposal Submission Guidelines. (Special City Council meeting at 5:30 p.m.). 3. Md2&Ma: Dead** to prepare and submit internal maps to City Clerk for review of proposed council ward boundaries and population/dem lw i i- is data by City staff(Nate: interne/maps are for internal viewing only and are not intended for public review and comment. 4. ft 8. 2812: Deadline for City review of internal maps and Opuiadon/demographic data and for submission of requested changes, in writing, to Bojorquez Law Firm. 5. ft 111,Ult Deadline to return revised k0smal maps in the form of dry maps to G y Secretary with requested changes. (Note: draft maps are intended for public review and comment once presented to City Council). 6. : Presentation of draft maps and population/demographic data to City Council and meeting(s)with local special interest group leaders (rag gar City Council meeting at 1:30 p.m.). 7. M,21.: 12: Deadline for Bojorquez Law Firm to return first revision of draft maps to City Secretary. 8. Ain& 2: Public hearing to obtain citizen input on draft maps (negular City Council meeting at 5:00 p.m.). 9. JM lit, X12: Deadline for all citizens to submit specific redistricting proposals to the City Secretary. 10.E ,2,, : Deadline for submission by City of any additional requested changes to draft maps, in writing, to Bojorquez Law Firm. 11. 2: Deadline for Bojorquez Law firm to return second revision of draft maps and poputation/demographic data to City. EXHIBIT"A" 12.x3 2: Deadline for City's final review of draft maps and authorization for drohng of ordinance on final Redistricting Map (regular City Council meeting at 1:30 p.m.). 13.Aft 1 : First needing of ordinance on proposed final Redistricting Map by City Council (regular City Council meeting at 1:30 p.m.). 14 A&24,HU. Second reading of ordinance on proposed final Redistrkling Map by City Council (regular City Council meeting at 5:00 p.m.). 15.Ao 31, Sojorquez Law Firm submits preclearance request to Department of Justice In Washington, D.C.