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Request for Action <br />To <br />Item Number <br />Mayor and City Council <br />8.3 <br />Agenda Section <br />Meeting Date <br />Prepared by <br />Worksession <br />October 6, 2015 <br />Tina Allard, City Clerk <br />Item Description <br />Reviewed by <br />City Feedback for Purchasing Election Equipment <br />Cal Portner, City Administrator <br />Reviewed by <br />Action Requested <br />Council feedback regarding their support for the purchase of election equipment. <br />Background/Discussion <br />Residents and candidates have voiced frustration with timely posting of election results. In 2014, <br />Sherburne County was among the last three counties to post to the Office of the Secretary of State's <br />website. <br />Our current equipment was purchased in the late 1990's and is showing its wear with an increasing <br />number of equipment failures. We have worked with the county to improve the process; however, the <br />transmission of results from polling locations is a barrier. <br />The county would like all cities to purchase new precinct ballot scanners and a central ballot scanner. <br />Ballot scanners are located at each precinct to count the paper ballots and the central ballot scanner is <br />located at the county for the absentee voting process. They offered to pay half the cost of the ballot <br />scanners and request each city pay a portion of the central ballot counter based on the number of <br />registered voters in each precinct. <br />Staff is requesting two extra ballot scanners to act as backups in case of equipment failure. <br />Financial Impact <br />The cost estimate for the city share of purchasing election equipment is estimated at $45,000. The county <br />is offering two payment options: <br />1. Full payment in 2016, which would be added to the 2016 CIP. <br />2. Pay a rental cost to the county over a certain period of time. Details to be worked out later. <br />Attachments <br />■ September 18, 2015, Email and Letter from Sherburne County Auditor <br />■ November 22, 2014, Star News Article <br />PVaw/�EAE1 0r <br />mW If URE <br />