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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
TO ESTABLISH REDISTRICTING PROCEDURES FOR THE COOK COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
WHEREAS, Section 2-109 (a)(4) of the Cook County Code of Ordinances authorizes the Cook County Board of Commissioners (“Board”) to create special committees by resolution adopted by a majority of those elected; and
WHEREAS, Section 2-109 (h) further provides that such resolution creating a special committee shall specify the subject matter of the special committee, the number of members to be appointed, and may specify a reporting date during the term; and
WHEREAS, the County of Cook is called upon by law to redraw its districts every decade based
upon the population data compiled and made available by the U.S. Census Bureau; and
WHEREAS, the 2020 Census results have not yet been released; however, in order to ensure timely completion of redistricting in Cook County, the Board desires to establish the process and procedures in order to commence its review of County Board district boundaries; and
WHEREAS, a Redistricting Committee has been established by the Board to review the 2020 U.S. Census data and to make recommendations to the Board for new County Board district boundaries; and
WHEREAS, it is in the interest of the Redistricting Committee and the public to establish procedures for redistricting.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF COOK COUNTY AS FOLLOWS that the following procedures shall be implemented and followed for Cook County Redistricting Committee:
1. The Redistricting Committee of the Cook County Board of Commissioners (“Board”) shall consider plans of single-member districts and recommend one plan for adoption by the Board. The plan recommended to the Board shall comply with all applicable federal and state constitutional and statutory requirements.
2. The Chair, following consultation with the Vice-Chair and Assistant Vice-Chair of the Redistricting Committee shall establish and post guidelines for public access of redistricting services and ensure said guidelines provide opportunity for all individuals and groups who wish to convey their ideas on redistricting to the Board and to the Redistricting Committee but who otherwise do not have the technical resources to support their efforts; said guidelines shall include opportunity for the public to access by appointment computer hardware and software, operated by redistricting staff, in order to afford fair access to these services. The Chair shall make accommodations for remote participation by the public in lieu of on-site public access.
3. The Redistricting Committee shall conduct at least three public hearings to gather public testimony on re-districting matters. These hearings shall be conducted in advance of the Committee assembling a full plan for consideration. Those wishing to participate are urged to address among other matters issues of communities of interest. A schedule of these public hearings will be announced and published by the Chair; said meetings may be conducted remotely.
4. All meetings of the Redistricting Committee will be conducted in accordance with all applicable laws, including the Open Meetings Act. Notice will be given in accordance with the Open Meetings Act and Board practice. A citizen or organization that requests written notice shall receive it without charge.
5. Transcripts of any meetings of the Committee shall be made available for public inspection within 15 working days of the meeting at the offices of the Secretary of the Board, Cook County Building, 118 N. Clark Street, Room 567, Chicago, Illinois or electronically at the direction of the Chair. All written materials submitted as testimony, proposals, or comments to the Committee shall be made available for public inspection within five working days of their receipt.
6. All original plans produced by the public are due by May 10, 2021 or a date to be determined by the Chair depending on the release of the Census data. A plan may describe a single district or a combination of districts. The public is encouraged to propose plans that incorporate all 17 districts.
7. Any plan submitted to the Committee shall include 19 copies of the following information (one copy will remain in the Committee file, one copy will be submitted to the Secretary of the Board for public inspection, and one copy will be provided to each member of the Committee):
7.1. The plan drawn as a map, showing the boundaries of the proposed district or districts, township boundaries, the limits of the City of Chicago, the names of major streets, roads, highways or physical features defining the boundaries of the proposed district or districts.
7.2. A statistical summary for each existing or proposed district providing:
7.2.1. Total population and voting age population;
7.2.2. The number of African-American and African-American voting age population;
7.2.3. The number of Hispanic and Hispanic voting age population;
7.2.4. The number of Asian and Asian voting age population.
7.3. A written explanation as to how communities of interest are addressed.
7.4. A list of townships and municipalities (or portions thereof) in each proposed district.
7.5. A written description of each proposed district by census tract and block.
7.6. A districting impact statement explaining how the proposed plan satisfies the requirements of the United States and Illinois Constitutions and relevant federal and state statutes (and, specifically, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended).
Effective Date: Effective immediately upon passage.
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