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Consent-General Government # 14.
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| Board of Supervisors |
Clerk-Recorder/Assessor/Elections |
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| Subject |
| Adopt two budget resolutions to increase the Assessor/Clerk-Recorder/Elections Equipment Upgrade Capital Improvement Project budget and the Clerk-Recorder budget and ratify the purchase of voter accessibility devices. (No general fund impact) (4/5 vote required) (Salinas/Works) |
| Recommended Action |
- Approve total project budget increase amount by $82,940 for required Voter Accessibility Devices, per California requirements to have at least three voting machines accessible to voters with disabilities at each voting location (Att. B. Budget Resolution - Elections CIP) and adopt subsequent budget resolution;
- Approve an increase to the Clerk-Recorder budget by $74,372 for technology services and other unexpected expenses (Att. D. Budget Resolution - Recorder RMS) and adopt subsequent budget resolution; and
- Ratify a purchase of voter accessibility devices in the amount of $247,692.28.
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| Strategic Plan Goal(s) |
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Thriving Residents |
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| Reason for Recommended Action/Background |
The Hart 6.2.1 eSlate DAU voter accessibility devices used during the 2020 Election Cycle are no longer certified and cannot be used for future elections. (Att. A. Yolo Legacy and Blended Approval.pdf) Because of this, Elections had an urgent need to quickly purchase voter accessibility devices that are needed for the 2021 elections. An additional 32 accessibility devices were required to make sure Yolo County remained within California State requirements set forth by SB 450 requiring a minimum of three voter accessibility devices at each voting location. These devices were purchased in April 2021, so staff had the necessary time to receive the devices, test the equipment, and program the devices for the upcoming 2021 elections. The additional funding in the amount of $82,940 is needed to pay an outstanding invoice to the vendor.(Att. B. Budget Resolution - Elections CIP)
The Elections upgrade project is a multi-year project to upgrade the County’s election system to a state-compliant system. The State is providing matching funding for this project. Due to timing issues, and the State not requiring the 25% County match after 7/1/2020, a budget resolution is necessary to re-budget appropriations from previous fiscal years. (Att. C. General Election November 2020 Coronavirus Funding - July 2020.pdf)
Now that this project is completed, the County can expect to receive reimbursement from the State for all expenditures related to the Elections Replacement project. The amount of the reimbursement will depend on the allocation factor agreed upon based on the date of the purchase, however, no additional general funds are required for this action.
The Clerk-Recorder’s budget unit saw an increase in unexpected expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic and for certain technology services purchases. The unexpected expenses included postage that was needed to send certified documents to residents who were unable to visit the Recorder’s office and additional services and supplies that were needed to process the increase in recordings. These expenses are fully offset by an unexpected increase in revenue from recorder fees.
The Yolo County Recorder Upgrade Fund requires an additional $15,077 to cover costs associated with our Records Management System. The Records Management System invoice from fiscal year 2019-20 was paid in 2020-21 requiring an additional $15,077 to cover the cost of the current fiscal year invoice. Additional funds are available through our Special Revenue Fund Balance. (Att. D. Budget Resolution - Recorder RMS) |
| Collaborations (including Board advisory groups and external partner agencies) |
Department of Financial Services
County Counsel |
| Competitive Bid Process |
| The additional voter accessibility devices are compatible with recent Elections System purchased in 2020. The original purchase was justified through a sole source documentation process and executed through a Board approved contract. The Board is being asked to ratify the purchases of the additional equipment that was received by the County in April 2021 as the additional equipment was not purchased on a contract or purchase order. Elections had an urgent need to purchase the equipment quickly to ensure staff had enough time to receive the devices, test the equipment, and program the devices for the upcoming 2021 elections this summer and fall. |
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| Fiscal Impact |
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| Source of Funds for this Expenditure |
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Explanation (Expenditure and/or Revenue) |
| Further explanation as needed: |
For the 2020 Election Cycle, Yolo County received temporary approval from the CA Secretary of State to use a hybrid election equipment solution, which allowed the use of the traditional Disabled Access Units (DAUs) in conjunction with the new Hart Verity 3.1 voting system. This strategy coupled with new funding provided by the state for the November election and locally lead efforts to remove the county match for all voting equipment purchased between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021 will save the county tens of thousands of dollars in reduced local match funding requirements once the board approves this recommended budget adjustment action.
Last year the California Legislature passed the following bills: AB 860 and SB 423. The bills provided flexibility to allow for the transition of a traditional polling place model to a vote center-like model without all the requirements set forth by SB 450 known as the Voters Choice Act. One item that did not provide flexibility was the requirement of having at least three voting machines that are accessible to voters with disabilities at each location. Fortuantely, Yolo County staff was approved to receive an extension to use our older systems to comply with this requirement during the November 3, 2020 General Election.
The approved extension to use the old DAUs expired on December 31, 2020. Because of this, additional DAUs (three at each location) are required to ensure compliance with SB 450 (Voter's Choice Act legislation) moving forward. Moreover, Yolo County Elections will be required to have this updated DAU equipment in place for the anticipated fall recall election. As a result, the purchasing and processing of this order needed to be rushed for our vendor to deliver this product in time for us to fulfill all acceptance test requirements by the Secretary of State's for this rapidly approaching recall election. |
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