TITLE
Consider a memorandum/resolution authorizing the procurement of election equipment from Election Systems and Software through Texas Buyboard.
SUMMARY
DATE: August 20, 2019
TO: Ronald L. Olson, City Manager
FROM: Kathryn Davis, City Attorney
SUBJECT: Procurement of Election Equipment
BACKGROUND AND FINDINGS:
In 2011, the Legislature passed SB 100, which provided that the County is only required to provide election support to cities, including equipment, in odd-numbered years. Because of this change, the City must make other arrangements for equipment when elections occur in even-numbered years.
Every even-numbered year, the city has been leasing election equipment from Election Systems and Software (ES&S). This is the same company that Bell County purchased its election equipment from and is the only one that uses paper ballot options. City staff believes that it is best to use the same equipment that Bell County uses as to not confuse the voters with different machines or technology. In 2018, city staff was notified that due to aging election equipment, ES&S could not guarantee that equipment would be available to lease and that the cost to lease equipment would increase significantly in future years.
City staff obtained a quote from ES&S to lease election equipment for the 2020 general election. The total amount of the quote to rent the equipment in 2020 came in at $56,685.85 as compared to the total cost to rent election equipment in 2018 which totaled $37,695.
Upon receiving the 2020 rental quote from ES&S and seeing the increase in rental costs, staff requested a quote to purchase election equipment, which is the direction that other cities the size of Killeen are moving towards. ES&S provided a quote in the amount of $173,584.85 to purchase election equipment. Other options include lease to purchase with annual payments of $58,432.56 over a 3-year term with 0.99% interest for a total purchase of $175,297.68; a 4-year term with...
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