Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: June 2, 2009 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. (gyp 'Q <br />SUBJECT: Space Allocation for Board of Elections <br />DEPARTMENT: Purchasing Department PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Pam Jones, 245-2652 <br />Board of Elections Letter Donna Coffey, 245-2151 <br />Board of Elections Space Options <br />PURPOSE: To consider the permanent allocation of space at the Government Services Center Annex to <br />the Board of Elections at such time it is vacated; and to approve funding reallocation to allow office <br />renovation work at the Link Center. <br />BACKGROUND: <br />The Issue <br />Space studies since 2000 have recommended the entire lower level of the Court Street Annex be <br />assigned to the Board of Elections office. However, the voting laws now require all elections equipment <br />to be kept at the Board of Elections office in order to ensure security and integrity of the equipment at all <br />times. Due to available space at the current location, previous plans to provide office space on Court <br />Street and voting equipment storage at the County's secure storage facility are no longer viable. <br />The voting equipment is currently secured off-site at a location which will transition to other uses in Fall <br />2009. Equipment must be certified no later than June 30, 2009, after which it must not be moved until <br />the election or be recertified at an estimated cost of $25,000. The State pays for the initial certification; <br />the County would be responsible for subsequent certification costs. The Board of Elections and staff <br />have requested the new equipment be moved to new Elections offices immediately after the election. <br />The Recommended Solution <br />Over the past several months the County Manager and staff discussed a number of options with the <br />Board of Elections and its staff. At a meeting on May 5, 2009 the Board of Elections expressed a <br />preference listed as Option #3 on the attached list. Under this option the Government Services Center <br />Annex at 208 S. Cameron would be allocated for use by the Elections office by November 2009 and <br />voting equipment would be relocated to this site after the November 3 election. <br />It is further recommended the GSC Annex be officially re-named Board of Elections Office to reflect the <br />new use of the space. <br />