City Council Meeting Date: April 17, 2018
To: Mayor and City Council
City Administrator
From: Deb Little, City Clerk
Title
Consider Approval of Cost Sharing Agreement with Dakota County for Election Equipment
Body
Action Requested:
The Northfield City Council considers a Motion approving the attached cost sharing agreement with Dakota County for election electronic poll books hardware, software and related services and authorizes the Mayor and City Clerk to sign the agreement.
Summary Report:
Dakota County and the 12 large cities (Attachment 1 - Appendix A for a list of cities) have been working on a partnership to purchase and implement electronic poll books for use beginning with the 2018 election cycle. Electronic poll books are a digital replacement for paper rosters. They have numerous benefits, which include improved efficiencies in the management of election data, a streamlined polling place experience for voters, and ease-of-use for election judges as they navigate the electoral process.
Dakota County applied for and received grant funds to reduce the cost of the electronic poll books. In addition to the grant funds, Dakota County has agreed to share in this cost.
Alternative Options:
N/A
Financial Impacts:
The City’s cost share is anticipated to be $2,770.81 as shown in Appendix A of the agreement. As noted, the amounts are based on all cities involved executing a Cost Sharing Agreement. If one or more of the cities does not participate, the City’s share will increase. While this is highly unlikely, any changes would be brought back to the City Council for approval. There is money in the 2018 Elections budget to cover these costs.
Tentative Timelines:
The agreement must be executed by May 1, 2018 in order to implement electronic poll books for the 2018 election season.