BENTONVILLE -- Benton County's justices of the peace on Tuesday backed the Election Commission's preference for new voting machines and agreed to send a notice to the Secretary of State's Office hoping to influence the state's decision.
Russ Anzalone, commission chairman, told the Committee of the Whole election officials from Benton and Washington counties agreed they prefer to remain with Election Systems & Software as the state's provider of electronic voting and counting machines and software. The Secretary of State's Office will choose which voting machines will be used in Arkansas, he said.
Jail Fees
Benton County’s Committee of the Whole deferred action Tuesday on a proposal to increase the daily fee charged to cities for housing municipal prisoners in the jail from $40 per day to $45 per day. The proposal was rejected when some justices of the peace questioned language that also referred to the fee charged for holding state inmates in the jail. The panel agreed to pursue separate ordinances for those fees.
Source: Staff Report
Anzalone said Benton County election officials have estimated the county needs 375 of the voting machines from ES&S, along with other equipment, yearly maintenance fees and licensing fees. the estimated cost would be about $1.8 million, he said. Anzalone said the other company election officials considered, Unisyn Voting Solutions, carried a lower estimated cost but those machines have operating features Anzalone said could present problems in casting and counting ballots.
"We would like to continue to use the same company that has been serving the state," he said of ES&S.
Anzalone said the state has set aside about $30 million for voting machines for all of Arkansas' 75 counties in the budget for next fiscal year. Benton County's share could come close to covering the $1.8 million.
"We think they're going to come close to giving us the $1.8 million," he said. "As long as they're close to that I don't expect we'll be coming back to you for more money."
Anzalone said the commission and other election officials agreed no matter which voting system the state chooses, Benton County will have to invest money in providing a way to move the machines from the commission offices to polling places. He said the current ES&S machines have a collapsible frame and can be moved by precinct sheriff's and other election workers in their own vehicles.
The new machines, from both companies, have much larger stands that will not fit into most cars. He said Washington County has provided transportation for its voting machines for some time rather than relying on precinct officials to move them.
"Once we get the new machines we will need transportation in order to take the voting machines out to the voting sites," he said. "Regardless of which company is chosen, the stands are solid and can't be put in cars."
Anzalone said if the state approves the $31 million for the purchase, the new voting machines will probably be in use by the spring of 2016.
The committee also discussed and recommended approving buying land in Rogers adjacent to the county office building at 15th and Walnut streets. County Judge Bob Clinard said the additional land will give the Rogers offices of the assessor, collector and county clerk, along with the state Revenue Office, another 40 parking spaces.
Clinard said when the building sees its heaviest traffic the 43 parking spaces now available are inadequate. The cost of the land was put at $82,000 and improvements needed to use the property for parking added another $57,500 to the costs.
Clinard also told the committee he had made plans to move the office in the Rogers building used by the Public Defender to the Center for Non-Profits in Rogers to increase the space available for the other offices in the county building.
The committee approved authorizing the county to apply for federal grants. One grant is for traffic enforcement programs in the Sheriff's Office and the second grant, if awarded, could provide federal money for the War Eagle Bridge project.
The panel also approved declaring a vacancy in the office of surveyor. Ron Ridout, long-time holder of that office, died last month and the Quorum Court is charged with naming a replacement. The panel delayed naming a replacement.
NW News on 04/15/2015