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The John C. Stennis Institute of Government
PRELIMINARY PROPOSAL FOR REDISTRICTING SERVICES
HANCOCK COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI Scope of work
•	Provide support and technical assistance to the Hancock County Board of Supervisors throughout county-wide beat level redistricting, based on 2000 Census Bureau population counts.
•	Construct a variety of viable options for the Board’s consideration, using guidelines established by the Board. As per Department of Justice regulations, guidelines for establishing redistricting options may include such factors as the protection of incumbent office holders, respecting the current boundaries of voting precincts or other existing political subdivisions, the linkage of ‘communities of interest’, and past voting behavior. In addition, other factors such as beat-level road mileage and assessed value can be considered at the Board’s discretion. The Institute, in constructing plans, will communicate with the Board regarding the potential for pre-clearance of any specific plan as required under §5 of the Voting Rights Act, considering provisions related to compactness, contiguity, and non-retrogression of majority-minority districts.
•	Upon request by the Board, the Institute will assist in educating the public about potential redistricting plans through the facilitation of local public hearings.
•	Upon agreement and passage of the Board regarding proposed plans, the Institute will work with the County to develop the pre-clearance submission package to be forwarded to the Department of Justice, including the generation of block-equivalency files as required by Justice Department regulations.
Project Cost
•	The fixed price cost of providing the base redistricting services outlined within the preliminary scope of work is $14,617.00.
•	This amount includes all necessary labor, travel, commodities and other expenses necessary to complete the tasks outlined in the preliminary scope of work. The actual contract price may vary depending upon any special or unique tasks required by the Board, to be determined prior to establishing any contractual arrangement with the Institute for redistricting services.
•	If necessary, additional districts (justice court, voting precincts, school districts, for example) can be addressed during the beat-level redistricting process, at an estimated additional cost of $250 per district.
•	If it becomes necessary for researchers at the Institute, in response to any legal challenges brought against a submission, to provide expert witness testimony in defense of a plan approved by the Board, an additional cost of $50 per hour plus travel costs will apply and be billed to the county for time related to research, preparation and witness testimony; but under no condition would such additional costs exceed one-third of the total project cost.
Post Office Drawer LV • The Depot Building • Mississippi State University • Mississippi State, MS 39762 www.sig.msstate.edu • (662) 325-3328 voice • (662)325-9199 fax