Decision Packages ‐ 2022 Sedgwick County Budget [879] Redistricting/Change of Polling Place Notification Division: Election Commissioner Contact Name: Sandra Gritz Department Priority: 1 Division Priority: Primary Fund Center: 66001‐110 Fund: 110 Funding Frequency: One‐time Request Status: Submitted Reason: Other Attachments: Summary This funding would be used to notify registered voters affected by redistricting of their new voting districts and polling place assignments. The Sedgwick County Print Shop has indicated that a mailing of this size would require outsourcing. As the exact number of voters who will be affected by Redistricting in 2022 is not currently known, it is prudent to include funding in the Election budget adequate to send a required notification to all registered voters in Sedgwick County after redistricting in 2022. Legal Reference: K.S.A. 25‐2701 (d) (1) Legal Requirement: K.S.A. 25‐2701 (d) (1) The county election officer may not change a voting place prior to an election without providing mailed notice to the voters affected at least 30 days prior to the election. If an emergency is declared by the county election officer, the mailed notice requirement shall be waived. Expenditure Impact 2021 2022 Budget Budget Commit Item Fund Fund Center 14,000 42901 ‐ Printing 110 66001‐110 117,000 45300 ‐ POSTAGE/SHIPPING 110 66001‐110 0 131,000 TOTAL Question Responses How will this request assist in obtaining your performance objective(s) or impact services you deliver? This funding would be used to notify registered voters affected by redistricting of their new voting districts and polling place assignments. Notification to voters of a change of polling place is a statutory requirement. Discuss problems the department/community will experience if this request was not approved and what other alternatives you've considered? Please provide a demonstration or scenario of the service at the current time. Notification to voters of changes in voting districts and polling places prevents voter confusion and builds voter confidence in the election process through increased transparency. Voters who are not informed of changes in polling places and / or voting districts due to redistricting can be confused by these changes and can feel Page 1 they have been disenfranchised by lack of open communication and transparency in the electoral process. Will the funding of this request be from existing resources, or from a new revenue? Please outline how any new revenue was estimated. This funding does not have a new revenue source and is being requested from the General Fund. Other: N/A Please provide information regarding any type of study done to support your current request. This information is based on past redistricting experiences and current statutes. For personnel related requests, please provide information regarding the department's ability to fulfill day to day tasks and what challenges currently exist. N/A Please determine if this request is a want or a need for your department. Please detail how this request will support your department or division's strategic plan. This request is a need, as redistricting and notification to voters of changes in polling places are required by state statute. Please provide 3 years’ worth of data to support your request. N/A Page 2 Decision Packages ‐ 2022 Sedgwick County Budget [881] Voting Machine Battery Replacement Division: Election Commissioner Contact Name: Sandra Gritz Department Priority: 2 Division Priority: Primary Fund Center: 66003‐110 Fund: 110 Funding Frequency: One‐time Request Status: Submitted Reason: Other Attachments: Summary Elections requests funding to replace backup batteries and CMOS batteries in 1,202 voting machines currently owned by Sedgwick County. During the initial RFP and purchase of this voting equipment, battery life was stipulated to be 5 years, so this is an anticipated cost that was approved with the purchase of the voting equipment. Performing this service involves soldering internal electronic components, and can only be performed by certified technicians in order to maintain the voting equipment’s certifications. The current batteries are at end of life and the manufacturer has recommended replacement. The attached pricing is valid only if performed during a scheduled preventative maintenance visit, which occur in the spring of even numbered years. Due to the nature of the service, it is common for up to 10% of the units receiving battery replacements to require follow up repairs. Sedgwick County has a sufficient amount of equipment to mitigate this issue in the 2022 election cycle. If the battery replacement is not performed in 2022, it would be delayed until 2024, immediately prior to a Presidential Election and could negatively affect the ability of this office to conduct the anticipated high turnout elections in 2024. Legal Reference: N/A Legal Requirement: N/A Expenditure Impact 2021 2022 Budget Budget Commit Item Fund Fund Center 216,360 42411 ‐ Equipment Repair & 110 66003‐110 0 216,360 TOTAL Question Responses How will this request assist in obtaining your performance objective(s) or impact services you deliver? Maintaining voting equipment properly ensures reliable and accurate performance during elections. Discuss problems the department/community will experience if this request was not approved and what other alternatives you've considered? Please provide a demonstration or scenario of the service at the current time. Due to the nature of the service, it is common for up to 10% of the units receiving battery replacements to require follow up repairs. Sedgwick County has a sufficient amount of equipment to mitigate this issue in the Page 3 2022 election cycle. If the battery replacement is not performed in 2022, it would be delayed until 2024, immediately prior to a Presidential Election and could negatively affect the ability of this office to conduct the anticipated high turnout elections in 2024. Will the funding of this request be from existing resources, or from a new revenue? Please outline how any new revenue was estimated. Funding is being requested from the General Fund as there is not a new source of revenue for this request. Other: Please provide information regarding any type of study done to support your current request. N/A For personnel related requests, please provide information regarding the department's ability to fulfill day to day tasks and what challenges currently exist. N/A Please determine if this request is a want or a need for your department. Please detail how this request will support your department or division's strategic plan. This request is a need, as properly function voting equipment is essential in conducting fair and accurate elections. When equipment does not function correctly, it erodes voter confidence in elections. Please provide 3 years’ worth of data to support your request. N/A Page 4 Decision Packages ‐ 2022 Sedgwick County Budget [882] Replace 2 Part‐time Positions with 1 FTE Division: Election Commissioner Contact Name: Sandra Gritz Department Priority: 3 Division Priority: Primary Fund Center: 66001‐110 Fund: 110 Funding Frequency: Recurring Request Status: Submitted Reason: Other Attachments: Summary Elections requests that the 2 part time, non‐benefitted positions in our current budget be combined into a single full time, benefitted position. The current two part time positions do not meet the needs of the department, as the reduced work hours and lack of flexibility in scheduling do not allow sufficient time to become proficient in required duties and result in reduced efficiencies when transitioning shifts. Additionally, these positions have been difficult to fill and have a higher turnover rate than the full time positions in this office. Changing the two Part time, non‐benefitted positions to one FTE will increase personnel costs by a maximum of $22, 082 Legal Reference: N/A Legal Requirement: N/A Expenditure Impact 2021 2022 Budget Budget Commit Item Fund Fund Center 5,000 41101 ‐ Salaries and Wages 110 66001‐110 17,082 41301 ‐ FICA‐OASDI Taxes 110 66001‐110 0 22,082 TOTAL Question Responses How will this request assist in obtaining your performance objective(s) or impact services you deliver? Converting these two part time positions into one full time position will provide better continuity of service to our customers, reduce down time at shift changes, and will assist in recruiting higher performing applicants to fill the position. Discuss problems the department/community will experience if this request was not approved and what other alternatives you've considered? Please provide a demonstration or scenario of the service at the current time. When these two part time positions were created, it was done in place of one FTE with the goal of realizing a cost savings. After five years, it has become apparent that dividing this position into two part time positions has not benefited this office as intended, and instead has become burdensome due to additional training time needed due to the reduced hours and high turnover. Page 5 Will the funding of this request be from existing resources, or from a new revenue? Please outline how any new revenue was estimated. This request is to be funded with existing resources. Other: Please provide information regarding any type of study done to support your current request. N/A For personnel related requests, please provide information regarding the department's ability to fulfill day to day tasks and what challenges currently exist. Currently, both of these part time positions are not filled. This department currently struggles to keep up with the workload when a staff member is absent for any reason, and this is the slowest season of the election cycle. Part time staff members who work partial days or fewer days per week require greater amounts of training time and do not attain proficiency as quickly as full time staff members. This reduces their ability to fully serve voters during an election cycle and limits the tasks they are able to perform independently.