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is within the acceptable deviations. He clarified if the City annexes unincorporated land after the boundaries are set there will be a process by State law to assign the new area to a district. Councilmember Narum commented that she does not like this and expressed hopes that residents will elect candidates who look at the good of the entire City and not just their district. She advised the City has no choice and is unwilling to risk millions of dollars to fight it in court when they do not stand a chance of winning. She encouraged residents to offer opinions on how to best draw the districts. In response to Councilmember Arkin, Mr. Wagaman clarified there are ways race and ethnicity may correspond to other criteria, such as if an area of a city has disparate socioeconomic issues. The community would be put together not because of its race or ethnicity but because of factors such as common language barriers or education. He confirmed common assets like schools are a way to define a community of interest. It is not a uniform rule because some schools have open enrollment but he confirmed this is an example of the kind of direction the City Council could give him to consider. In response to Councilmember Arkin, Mr. Wagaman clarified this process has to rely on the 2020 census and the current City boundaries. He added you can consider areas where faster growth is anticipated. He advised the process for any future annexes will include adjusting the district boundaries accordingly. Councilmember Arkin encouraged the public to offer input. In response to Councilmember Balch, Mr. Wagaman confirmed the public does not have to draw all four districts on a map but can submit either just a single district's map or help clarify a community of interests' boundaries. He advised the public will also be able to offer opinions of the proposed maps without having to draw their own first. He clarified the intent is to release proposed maps as a batch and includes his map proposals in addition to those from residents. Councilmember Balch expressed hope that future district-elected Councilmembers continue to achieve representation for the City as a whole. He noted it is good to see how the City plans to do its districting process after following recent redistricting processes for County Supervisors and the United States House of Representatives. In response to Mayor Brown, Mr. Willis clarified the State's Fair Maps Act does not prohibit a City from considering incumbency in drawing a map, but it comes after many other prioritized criteria. In response to Mayor Brown, Mr. Wagaman clarified all residents will be represented by one Councilmember and the Mayor regardless of the district's socio-economic conditions. He advised identifying communities of interest is part of the needed direction, along with a priority of communities of interest because they will not be able to do everything they want. In response to Mayor Brown, Mr. Wagaman advised there is no consensus on the issue of dividing downtown among jurisdictions he has worked with and is something to consider before the next meeting. Mayor Brown explained Councilmembers now need to be experts in the entire City to be elected and this will be a challenge in the future as it relates to something like an issue relating to a specific school or park. She explained there are no other viable choices due to the lack of success through litigation. In response to Councilmember Testa, Mr. Willis confirmed conflict of interest rules do not change with district representation. He acknowledged it can be a tough situation if a recusal means a district does not have its elected representative able to hear an item. City Council Minutes Page 4 of 10 January 4, 2022