Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission - June 2, 2021
Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission Regular Meeting of the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission / Reunion Regular de la Comision Ciudadana Independiente de Redistritacion
Versión en español a continuación. Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission Meeting 06/02/2021 Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission to be held 06/02/2021 with Social Distancing Modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance (06/01/2021 by noon). All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission Meeting, members of the public must: •Call or email the board liaison at 512-974-7665 and matthew.dugan@austintexas.gov no later than noon, (the day before the meeting). The following information is required: speaker name, item number(s) they wish to speak on, whether they are for/against/neutral, email address and telephone number (must be the same number that will be used to call into the meeting). •Once a request to speak has been made to the board liaison, the information to call on the day of the scheduled meeting will be provided either by email or phone call. •Speakers must call in at least 15 minutes prior to meeting start time in order to speak, late callers will not be accepted and will not be able to speak. •Speakers will be placed in a queue until their time to speak. •Handouts or other information may be emailed to matthew.dugan@austintexas.gov by noon the day before the scheduled meeting. This information will be provided to Board and Commission members in advance of the meeting. •If the meeting is broadcast live, it may be viewed here: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live Reunión del Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission la FECHA de la reunion (06/02/2021) La junta se llevará con modificaciones de distanciamiento social Se permitirán comentarios públicos por teléfono; no se permitirá ninguna entrada en persona. Todos los oradores deben registrarse con anticipación (06/01/2021 antes del mediodía). Todos los comentarios públicos se producirán al comienzo de la reunión. Para hablar de forma remota en la reunión, los miembros del público deben: • Llame o envíe un correo electrónico al enlace de junta en 512-974-7665 and matthew.dugan@austintexas.gov a más tardar al mediodía (el día antes de la reunión). Se requiere la siguiente información: nombre del orador, número (s) de artículo sobre el que desean hablar, si están a favor / en contra / neutral, dirección de correo electrónico (opcional) y un número de teléfono (debe ser el número que se utilizará para llamar ). • Una vez que se haya realizado una solicitud para hablar con el enlace …
ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission of Austin The Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission of Austin, Texas is seeking an Administrative Manager to oversee the daily operations of the Commission. The Administrative Manager will ensure the Commission operates smoothly and efficiently by supporting and enabling relationship-building, managing communications, convenings, and scheduling across a spectrum of complex calendars. The Administrative Manager will schedule and oversee the Commission’s weekly meetings and assist the Chair and Vice Chair with agenda creation and minutes. The Administrative Manager will also work alongside subcommittees to: schedule and secure venue space for required public hearings throughout Austin, monitor Commission budget and expenses, field media inquiries and assist the commission with social media and website management. The Administrative Manager will serve at the pleasure of the Commission until a redistricting plan has been fully adopted and any challenges to it resolved, estimated to be five months starting July 2021. This full-time position is located in Austin with a salary of $50,000. Administrative Manager Responsibilities: ● Supervising the day-to-day operations of the Commission. ● Ensuring the Commission is prepared for weekly meetings with necessary materials and information. Working on agenda creation and taking minutes. ● Working with various subcommittees to track budget, monitor spending, manage a city credit card, receive receipts, and process expenses and reimbursements. ● Planning, scheduling, and promoting Commission events, including but not limited to meetings, public hearings, interviews, orientations, and training sessions. ● Collecting, organizing, and storing information using computers and filing systems. ● Overseeing special projects and tracking progress towards Commission goals. Administrative Manager Required Qualifications: ● Five years of related experience. ● Exceptional leadership and time, task, and resource management skills. ● Strong problem solving, critical thinking, coaching, interpersonal, and verbal and written communication skills. ● Proficiency with computers, especially MS Office. ● Ability to plan for and keep track of multiple projects and deadlines. Administrative Manager Preferred Qualifications: ● Familiarity with budget planning and enforcement, human resources, and customer service procedures. ● Experience with website management. ● Experience with public and media relations, and social media management. ● Prior public service experience. ● Bilingual (Spanish). To apply, first make sure you meet eligibility requirements above. Then submit a cover letter, resume, three professional references, by 5 pm on June 18, 2021 to Matt Dugan at matthew.dugan@austintexas.gov
Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission of Austin Job Announcement Legal Counsel Number of Vacancies: 1 The Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (ICRC) of Austin, Texas is seeking Legal Counsel to manage all operational (such as state law and city policies affecting meetings and records) and Redistricting and Compliance matters. Counsel shall serve as the liaison between the Commission and the City of Austin Staff with respect to legal items on redistricting matters and maps and shall provide advice on strategies and implementation of maps for redistricting purposes. Counsel will report to the Commission. This is a 6-month temporary position to extend on an as needed basis. Legal Counsel will work closely with the Commission to defend any action regarding redistricting matters and/or a certified map. Legal Counsel will need to attend all commission meetings and be available to answer commission’s questions outside of scheduled meetings as they arise. Key Areas of Responsibility: ∙ Analyzing legislation and court rulings relative to the Commission. ∙ Ensuring that the Commission complies with Federal, State, and City codes, ordinances, and all applicable laws and regulations. ∙ Prepare operational and administrative reports summarizing activities. ∙ Advise Commission on the Open Meetings Act. ∙ Advise Commission on the Federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 and potential impacts. ∙ Serve as primary counsel for the implementation and legal coordination of the redrawing of the 10 single member districts for the City of Austin. ∙ Provide expert legal advice on the administration and implementation of all redistricting matters. ∙ Graduation from an American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law school. ∙ Licensed to practice law in Texas. Education Experience: ∙ 5 + years of progressively responsible legal experience with redistricting matters or relevant experience. ∙ Extensive experience in the application of the Open Meetings Act and the public records related thereto. ∙ Demonstrated experience & expertise in implementation and enforcement of the Voting Rights Act. ∙ No significant ties to City of Austin Council members. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: ∙ Superior negotiation, critical and analytical thinking, contract drafting, research, writing, editing, client counseling and organizational skills. ∙ The ability to work well with others; strong relationship-building skills ∙ Good presentation and speaking skills, a willingness to speak to the media on behalf of the Commission. Eligibility Requirements: Within the five years immediately preceding the date of application, neither the applicant nor their spouse have: ∙ Been appointed to, elected to, or …
MAPPING EXPERT Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission of Austin The Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (ICRC) of Austin, Texas is seeking an expert in voting-district mapping. The Commission is responsible for adopting a plan to set boundaries of ten districts, each to elect one Austin City Councilor. The Mapping Expert will have experience in creating district maps that have met the requirements of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965. You will help Commissioners and staff to obtain, analyze and present statistics on demographics, voting age population and other pertinent data. You will have expertise with mapping software i.e. geographic information systems (GIS). You will also work closely with Commissioners to gain community input at public hearings throughout Austin as required by the Commission. General Information City of Austin voters approved Proposition 3, a City Charter amendment commonly referred to as “10-ONE” in November 2012. The Charter amendment provides for the election of City Council Members from 10 geographic single-member districts with the Mayor elected from the City at-large, beginning with the November 2014 election. The Contractor will have experience in creating district maps that have met the requirements of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Contractor will help Commissioners and staff to obtain, analyze and present statistics on demographics, voting age population and other pertinent data. Contractor will have expertise with mapping software i.e. geographic information systems (GIS) and will work closely with Commissioners to gain community input at public hearings throughout Austin as required by the Commission. The contractor will report to the ICRC and serve at the pleasure of the Commission until a redistricting plan has been fully adopted and any challenges to it resolved, estimated to be six months starting as soon as possible. The Commission’s Duties 1. Conduct duties with integrity and fairness; 2. Conduct an open and transparent process to enable full public consideration of and comment on the drawing of district lines to include an open hearing process; 3. Draw district lines in accordance with specific redistricting criteria in the Charter; 4. Adopt a final redistricting plan and certify the plan to the Austin City Council; 5. Issue a report that explains the basis on which the Commission made its decisions. The contractor for this position will report to and serve at the pleasure of the Commission until a redistricting plan has been adopted and any challenges to it resolved, starting no later …
Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (ICRC) June 2, 2021 at 3:00 pm VIA VIDEOCONFERENCING Hoang Le Shaina Kambo Sara Inés Calderón Selina Yee Christina Puentes Whitney Finch Joshua Blank Members Absent Whitney Finch Staff Members Present Matthew Dugan CURRENT COMMISSION MEMBERS: Prabhu Kannan Brigham Morris Errol Hardin Eugene Schneider Erin Dempsey Luis Gonzalez Dr. Sterling Lands Members Present Christina Puentes Luis Gonzalez Errol Hardin Prabhu Kannan Brigham Morris Eugene Schneider Dr. Sterling Lands Hoang Le Shaina Kambo Sara Inés Calderón Selina Yee Erin Dempsey MINUTES Meeting goals: Approve job descriptions and where to post, request volunteers for subcommittee roles, follow-up on city updates, confirm with all commissioners the completion of trainings, discuss importance of our commitment to ICRC, and decide on meeting cadence through November 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Puentes called the meeting to order at 3:02pm with 13 members present. Commissioner Finch has resigned from the ICRC. CITIZEN COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first three speakers who register to speak no later than noon the day before the meeting will be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. Fred Lewis and Peck Young (NAACP Committee on Redistricting) addressed the ICRC. 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES On Commissioner Land’s motion, Commissioner Gonzalez’s second the May 21, 2021, minutes were approved unanimously. 2. OLD BUSINESS The ICRC may discuss and take action on the following agenda items A. Vote on Chair and Vice Chair On Commissioner Yee’s motion, Commissioner Schneider’s second, the ICRC voted unanimously to elect Interim Chair Puentes and Interim Vice Chair Gonzalez to continue serving in their roles permanently. 3. NEW BUSINESS The ICRC may discuss and take action on the following agenda items: A. Icebreaker: What do you hope returns to “normal” in a post-COVID world? What do you hope does not return to “normal”? Vice Chair Gonzalez lead the icebreaker activity. This item was tabled for a future meeting. B. Presentation on Robert’s Rules of Order: League of Women Voters C. Review staff job descriptions from Hiring Working Group (Legal Counsel, Administrative Manager, Mapping Consultant) Commissioner Kannan made a motion to poll the members regarding meeting in person, and Commissioner Schneider seconded the motion. Following discussion, the commission voted in favor of conducting meetings in person as needed or possible, on a 12-1-0 vote, with Commissioner Dempsey voting nay. Following discussion and suggested edits regarding the job descriptions, Commissioner Lands moved …
