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7.B. - Page 4 of 83 After the two required public hearings, the City Council may select a district map for implementation by introducing the proposed ordinance to change to a district election at the City Council meeting of March 11, 2019. The second reading and adoption of the ordinance is scheduled for March 25, 2019. However, if the City Council makes further changes to the district plan prior to the ordinance introduction, there will need to be an additional public hearing so the seven-day posting requirement can be satisfied. FISCAL IMPACT The fiscal impact of voluntarily converting to by -district elections is estimated to be approximately $175,000. The demographic and election consultants' costs are anticipated to be approximately $60,000. The total cost for public notices, translation fees, and interpretation at all public hearings is anticipated to be $5,000. The estimated cost to place a ballot measure on the March 2020 Primary ballot is $70,000. Special legal fees could be incurred for additional analysis and public hearings but are not anticipated to exceed $10,000. In addition, the City will be required to reimburse Mr. Shenkman up to $30,000 for his documented attorney's fees and costs. A budget amendment will be required for this initiative; staff will propose a budget amendment later this fiscal year. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW This activity is not a project under California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as defined in CEQA Guidelines, section 15378, because it has no potential for resulting in either a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. PUBLIC NOTICE Notice of the public hearing was published in the San Mateo Daily Journal on January 18, 2019 and the World Journal on January 25, 2019 and in EI Reportero on January 25, 2019. In addition, the City has developed a City webpage, hosted meetings, and broadly distributed information regarding this initiative and opportunities for public involvement. ALTERNATIVES The City Council can choose to retain the current at -large City Council election system. It is likely Mr. Shenkman and his client would then initiate a lawsuit under the California Voting Rights Act to attempt to force the city to convert to by -district elections. If the City were to lose that litigation, a judge would then decide a district map for the City. ATTACHMENTS Attachment A: Transition Timeline Attachment B: Feedback Received City of Redwood City 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. 94063 Tel: 650-780-7000 www.redwoodcity.org 148