Sponsor: Information and Public Records Administration
Title
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Agreements with Cities and School Districts for Voting Equipment and Elections Services
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Recommendation
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1. Approve the agreements with Roseville Area Schools Independent School District 623, the City of St. Anthony Village and St. Anthony-New Brighton Independent School District 282, the City of Saint Paul, Saint Paul Public Schools Independent School District 625, and the White Bear Lake Area Independent School District 624 for election services, for an initial term from January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2026, and renewable for one additional two-year term.
2. Authorize the Chair and Chief Clerk to execute the agreements.
3. Authorize the County Manager to execute amendments to the agreements in accordance with the provisions of the agreements and with all other terms and conditions remaining the same, and in a form approved by the County Attorney’s Office.
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Background and Rationale
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Ramsey County has been a statewide leader in developing and implementing contracts with municipalities and school districts in the county for the administration of elections. These contracts have resulted in the following benefits:
1. Facilitation of more uniformity in the administration of elections in the county.
2. Reduction in administrative costs through standardization of election materials and administrative processes.
3. Improvement in the quality and accuracy of the administration of elections through increased specialization and development of expert knowledge by the Ramsey County Elections Office staff.
The Ramsey County Elections Office has provided voting equipment and election services to Roseville Area Schools Independent School District 623 since January 1, 2009, the City of St. Anthony Village and St. Anthony-New Brighton Independent School District 282 since July 27, 2015, the City of Saint Paul and the Saint Paul Schools Independent School District 625 since January 1, 2013, and the White Bear Lake Area Independent School District 624 since May 1, 2013, under prior agreements which expired December 31, 2020. New agreements are necessary in order to continue providing voting equipment and election services to these entities.
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County Goals (Check those advanced by Action)
☐ Well-being ☒ Prosperity ☒ Opportunity ☒ Accountability
Racial Equity Impact
The agreements for election services promote racial equity uniformly throughout the County by ensuring that election judges reflect the diverse communities in which they serve, by providing comprehensive language assistance tools in the polling places, and by promoting community engagement work that encourages members of the community to participate in the elections process - and particularly those individuals who are traditionally under-represented in the voting population. The agreements provide for the following services that support racial equity:
• Promotion and advancement of the strategic priorities and values of Ramsey County
• Recruitment, training, assignment, and compensation of election judges
• Procurement and provisioning of interpreter services at absentee, early voting, and Election Day locations in accordance with Section 203 of the federal Voting Rights Act
• Hosting of civic engagement events regarding voter registration, absentee voting, election judge recruitment, and election related civics
• Recruitment of student elections judges and teacher liaisons as part of Ramsey County’s Student Election Judge program.
Community Participation Level and Impact
The county has worked with the cities and school districts to ensure that terms and conditions of the agreement are agreeable and that the defined services align with the needs of their local communities.
☒ Inform ☒ Consult ☒ Involve ☒ Collaborate ☐ Empower
Fiscal Impact
The contracts cover all associated costs with providing election services. Payment to Ramsey County for 2021-2022 is:
School District 623 $37,341
City of St. Anthony Village and School District 282 $57,960
City of Saint Paul $2,051,470
School District 625 $760,122
School District 624 $49,549
This revenue is included in the 2021 and 2022 budgets for the Ramsey County Elections Office.
The county will provide an initial cost estimate for the 2023-2024 calendar years to the municipalities no later than April 1, 2022, and an initial cost estimate for the 2025-2026 calendar years by April 1, 2024. Costs will be adjusted as necessary by the county to account for the following factors: 1) estimated voter turnout; 2) labor contracts and agreements for non-represented employees approved by the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners; 3) changes in the Consumer Price Index for the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area, as determined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for the previous two-year period; 4) changes in state, federal, county, city or school district legal requirements, as applicable; and 5) other factors having a significant impact on election costs.
County Manager Comments
County Board approval is required for revenue contracts over $100,000.
Last Previous Action
On August 18, 2015 the County Board authorized an agreement with the City of St. Anthony and the St. Anthony-New Brighton School District (Resolution B2015-264).
On May 7, 2013 the County Board authorized an agreement with the White Bear Lake Area School District (Resolution 2013-133).
Admin Code 3.40.27.d authorized the County Manager to execute agreements with the City of Saint Paul and Saint Paul Public Schools, and with the Roseville Area School District.
Attachments
1. Roseville Area Schools Independent School District 623 Election Services Agreement
2. City of St. Anthony Village and St. Anthony-New Brighton Independent School District 282 Election Services Agreement
3. City of Saint Paul Election Services Agreement
4. Saint Paul Public Schools Independent School District 625 Election Services Agreement
5. White Bear Lake Area Independent School District 624 Election Services Agreement