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City of Report Number 13-244 g)NFIW Agenda Section VI-7 BRIGI-ITON Council Meeting Date October 22, 2013 the city that works for you REQUEST FOR COUNCIL CONSIDERATION ITEM DESCRIPTION: Approval of Joint Powers Agreement with Ramsey County for New Voting System Acquisition and Operation DEPARTMENT HEAD'S APPROVAL: CITY MANAGER'S APPROVAL: No comments to supplement this report Comments attached Recommendation: Approve the Joint Powers Agreement with Ramsey County for New Voting System Acquisition and Operation. Legislative History: Ramsey County cities entered into a joint powers agreement(JPA)with Ramsey County in 2001 to purchase and operate the voting system. The current draft JPA has been updated to reflect current practices, Congress mandated use of assistive ballot marking devices for use by voters with disabilities or Help America Vote Act(HAVA),the Minnesota Legislature mandated central counting of all absentee ballots, and the acquisition of a new voting system and equipment. Staff became aware of the need to update the existing JPA while attending an elections meeting at the County last July. An article was included in the City Manager's weekly memo to the City Council at that time. Since then the JPA has been reviewed by the City Attorney as well as a LMC attorney. The updated JPA includes changes as a result of those recommendations. Financial Impact: Our current system is 14 years old. The new system is expected to last 14 years also. Ramsey County will bear the initial purchase cost of the new system and the cities will be invoiced for their respective portions. Ramsey County anticipates the total cost to be about$2,276,600. New Brighton's share of the capital costs is estimated to be about$44,875. The replacement of our voting equipment is included in the City Manager's Recommended 2014 Non-Fleet Budget. We have accumulated sufficient monies for the replacement in 2014. The estimated share of the operating costs will increase. The City Manager's Recommended 2014 Elections Budget reflects that increase. Explanation: The efficient ballot preparation and the timely compilation of elections results depend upon the use of a uniform voting system throughout Ramsey County. The use of a uniform voting system for all elections enhances voter and election judge understanding and helps to provide equitable treatment for all voters, regardless of the type of election. The Minnesota Legislature mandated the central counting of all absentee ballots under uniform state laws and procedures effective in 2010. The Ramsey County facilitates the entire election process within the county. The updated JPA reflects roles and responsibilities for the County and each municipality within the County. The previous agreement worked very well for the City in the past but needed to be updated as stated earlier. Dan Maiers Finance Director