Cape Girardeau County Clerk considering proposals for electronic polling equipment

The Cape Girardeau County clerk is reviewing proposals for new electronic polling equipment in hopes of getting a test site running with the new devices by the presidential primary Feb. 7.

The county commission took bids for electronic polling books Thursday, and four vendors presented proposals -- Know.Ink and Election Administrators LLC, both of St. Louis, Exponent Strategies LLC/Del Mar Information Technologies LLC of Indianapolis and Henry M. Adkins & Son Inc. of Clinton, Mo.

The electronic polling books will replace printed voter registration lists and enable poll workers to assist any voter that enters the voting site. Currently, workers are assigned a section of the alphabet, such as A through E, and can only help those whose last names fall in that range. With the new system, workers would also be able to instantly update voter information and find correct polling sites for voters who come to the wrong one. County Clerk Kara Clark Summers said the new equipment is expected to improve efficiency and reduce staffing costs.

"Every county that I've talked to that have them, love them," Summers said.

Summers was not able to provide estimated costs for the 99 books needed to equip all county voting sites because the proposal amounts are not made public record until negotiations are complete and a decision is made. She hopes to present the selected proposal to the commission next week for approval.

Money for the polling books will come from state grants, the Election Services Fund and the 2012 county elections budget.

The commission also opened up bidding for voting booths accessible to the disabled, and Inclusion Solutions LLC of Evanston, Ill., provided the sole bid. The booths will accommodate new vote tabulation machines that the county is scheduled to receive next week.

The 30 booths needed to equip all voting sites will cost $7,290 and be entirely paid for by a federal accessibility grant.

Other action

In other business, the county received $823,426.78 from Procter & Gamble as a PILOT program payment, or Payment In Lieu Of Taxes, for the company's expansion in 2000 that was funded by Chapter 100 bonds. Through the bond measure, the county retains ownership of the real estate and equipment involved in the expansion and the company pays a discounted tax rate on that property. The money received will be distributed to county tax entities in the same percentages as regular real estate and property taxes.

"It is a tool that the commission and municipalities can use to attract and keep or expand and create jobs," said Treasurer Roger Hudson of the bond agreement.

On Monday, the final 2012 budget was approved by the commission. Auditor Pete Frazier reported that actual county general revenue for 2011 was $10,198,424 with a 2012 beginning balance of $1,047,493. Estimated county revenue for 2012 is $10,611,266. Budget requests for 2012 total $11,504,100, expected to leave an unencumbered balance at the end of the year of $154,659.

The second budget approved was county road and bridge. In 2011, road and bridge took in $2,792,300, the bulk of which came from Prop 1 sales tax and County Aid Road Trust funds. The balance on hand at the end of 2011 was $1,285,113. Estimated road and bridge revenue for 2012 is $2,580,175 with budget requests amounting to $3,065,400, to leave an unencumbered balance at the end of the year of $799,888.

The county commission will not meet Monday, in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

salderman@semissourian.com

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