AGENDA CAPTION:
Title
Consider approval of Resolution 2020-158R, approving a Joint Election Agreement between the City of San Marcos and Hays County for the holding of a joint election to be held on November 3, 2020; authorizing the City Manager or his designee to execute the agreement on behalf of the City; and declaring an effective date.
Body
Meeting date: August 4, 2020
Department: City Clerk’s Office
Amount & Source of Funding
Funds Required: $15,000-$30,000 (Will depend on if we have a runoff. Actual Cost TBD)
Account Number: 10001101.52425
Funds Available: Appropriated in FY21 Budget
Account Name: City Clerk-Election
Fiscal Note:
Prior Council Action: The City Council adopted the Joint Election Agreement for the Nov 5, 2019 Election on August 20, 2019.
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Background Information:
The City of San Marcos has previously entered into Joint Election Agreements and Election Services Agreements with Hays County. Jennifer Anderson, Hays County Election Administrator, will conduct and supervise the City’s General Election to be held on November 3, 2020, and if necessary a runoff election.
The City of San Marcos has been contracting with the County Elections Office and holding joint elections with Hays County since 2005 when the City began to hold its elections on the November Uniform Election date instead of on the May Uniform Election date.
The Joint Election Agreement is authorized by Chapter 31 of the Texas Election Code, Chapter 791 of the Texas Government Code and Section 271.002 and 271.003 of the Texas Election Code.
Below is information about Joint Elections for those that may not be familiar with what they are and how they benefit the City.
If the elections ordered by the authorities of two or more political subdivisions are to be held on the same day in all or part of the same county, the governing bodies of the political subdivisions can enter into an agreement to hold the elections jointly in the election precincts that can be served by common polling places (Election Code Section 271.003).
Holding a joint election with Hays County benefits the City and City voters in two ways. Holding a joint election allows our voters to vote one common ballot with all Federal, State, County and Local issues on it. If the election was not held jointly City voters would need to cast two ballots. One ballot for the City and a second ballot with the County for any Federal, State or County items on the ballot. The second is that it saves the City money by sharing the costs of renting equipment, supplies, and payroll for election workers with the County and the other entities participating in the joint election.
The County has adopted a new formula for cost sharing of the election that is shown within this agreement. A formula will be a better depiction of actual costs per jurisdiction by the number of registered voters that they are serving.
The formula is as follows:
Example: Aggregate Registered Voters - 255,000
Registered Voters in County - 135,000
135,000/255,000= 52.94% of total cost
Registered Voters in Joint Entity A - 100,000
100,000/255,000= 39.23% of total cost
Registered Voters in Joint Entity B - 20,000
20,000/255,000= 7.84% of total cost
There is a $1,000 dollar minimum cost for elections that don't exceed the totals reflected above since programming and supplies would exceed the cost of elections with very small voter registration populations.
Council Committee, Board/Commission Action:
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Alternatives:
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Recommendation:
Staff recommends approval of this Joint Election Agreement. This agreement was approved by the County as well.