Title
Resolution adopting the Lake County Redistricting Framework.
Staff Summary
• In January 2018, the Lake County Board approved a resolution accepting the Lake County Commission on Government Reform and Accountability’s (LCCGRA) final report and created the Ad Hoc Government Reform Implementation Committee (Committee).
• The LCCGRA concluded in its final report that the County functions well and has the opportunity to be a leader in establishing an independent redistricting commission and serving as a model for government reform.
• The Committee met eight times in 2018 with the purpose of studying and evaluating options and then implementing the recommendations submitted in the LCCGRA report.
• The Committee recommends the creation of an Independent Advisory Commission on Redistrict (IACR) to set guiding principles for the reapportionment and serve as a partner in facilitating public outreach.
• The Committee recommends the Lake County Board adopt a Lake County Redistricting Framework that outlines the guidelines for membership and appointment to the IACR, as well as other roles and responsibilities.
• The purpose of adopting the Lake County Redistricting Framework and establishing the IACR is to promote fairness and independence of partisan political considerations in the apportionment process, as well as provide transparency, and allow for public participation.
Body
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, the Lake County Board approved the creation of a Lake County Commission on Government Reform and Accountability (LCCGRA) at its March 10, 2017 meeting and appointed its members on April 11, 2017; and
WHEREAS, the bi-partisan Commission, which represented thought leaders from across Lake County and the region, met eight times in 2017 and conducted in-depth research, heard from distinguished experts, and participated in an extensive dialogue about the topics they were challenged to explore, as well as other topics that deserved additional consideration; and
WHEREAS, the Commission concluded in its final report that the County functions well and it has the opportunity to be a leader in establishing an independent redistricting commission and serve as model for government reform as the only county in Illinois to embark on this, and joining only three other counties in the country to do so; and
WHEREAS, the Lake County Board approved a Resolution in January 2018 accepting the Commission’s final report and creating the ad hoc Government Reform Implementation Committee for the purpose of evaluating, studying and implementing the recommendations submitted in the LCCGRA report that the County Board determines are in the best interest of Lake County and its residents; and
WHEREAS, ad hoc Government Reform Implementation Committee approved a work plan that included these areas in this priority order: (1) Independent redistricting (2) Clarify the roles and responsibilities of County Board Chair and County Board members (3) Review/discuss other recommendations in Commission’s final report; and
WHEREAS, the Commission’s first three recommendations in its report call for the County Board to apply redistricting principles adopted by the Illinois Redistricting Collaborative to any process for reapportionment following the 2020 census and advocate for these principles; use County data and technology to support the drafting of a redistricting map that complies with federal and state voting rights and other legal requirements of redistricting, and develop a process for establishing an Independent Redistricting Commission, a transparent public awareness and engagement process, and public education efforts based on approved redistricting principles.
WHEREAS, the ad hoc Government Reform Implementation Committee evaluated and discussed research and information about independent redistricting commissions from across the country, the commissions’ makeup, how commission members are selected, any principles used when developing new district maps, and whether and how those principles are prioritized; and
WHEREAS, the ad hoc Government Reform Implementation Committee recommends that upon the completion of a federal decennial census for Lake County, that the County Board establish an Independent Advisory Commission on Redistricting (IACR) to set guiding principles for the reapportionment and serve as a partner in facilitating public outreach; and
WHEREAS, the IACR shall draw from the information gathered by the Lake County Commission on Government Reform and Accountability and state laws pertaining to the map amendment process, and the IACR shall prioritize and recommend redistricting principles for use by the County, based on those approved by the Illinois Redistricting Collaborative/Change Illinois on August 31, 2017; and
WHEREAS, in discharging its duty to establish reapportionment guiding principles and facilitate public outreach and input, the IACR should consider potential impacts of any underreporting groups in the federal decennial census for Lake County; and
WHEREAS, it is recommended that the IACR shall also conduct public outreach to educate County residents about the redistricting process and gather input from relevant stakeholders to aid the County in preparing and adopting maps; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the ad hoc Government Reform Implementation Committee developed a Lake County Redistricting Framework that outlines the guidelines for membership and appointments to the IACR, as well as other roles and responsibilities, and presents the Framework to the County Board for its consideration and adoption; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Lake County Board accepts the proposed Lake County Redistricting Framework and recommends future boards consider these guidelines during the next reapportionment process.
DATED at Waukegan, Illinois, on November 13, 2018.