Supervisors approve election equipment maintenance package

With the city elections coming up next week, the Jasper County Board of Supervisors approved an agreement to ensure that the election occurs without any major glitches.

Jasper County Auditor Dennis Parrott asked the supervisors to approve an agreement with Election Systems and Software Inc. for post warranty hardware maintenance services and software maintenance and support.

Parrott said the county had 43 pieces of election equipment to maintain, and although ES&S was virtually the only company in Iowa to maintain and sell election equipment, their service was excellent, offering onsite visits for free with the two year contract, as well as upgrades.

Parrott said the cost for the first year of the two-year contract, which extends from Jan. 1 through September 2010, was $24,250, with the second year at $14,601. Without the contract, ES&S would not offer free onsite visits or phone support during election day. The cost for the contract in in the auditor’s budget, Parrott said.

The county will bill the city for the cost of the upcoming election, including poll worker salaries, printing of ballots and programming, but the county can’t pass on the cost of the new purchase agreement.

Parrott added that Jasper County is one of 50 counties that will be using the computerized poll books. Hopefully, all possible scenarios that would trigger a call to the auditor’s office during election day will be included in the software at each precinct. Questions concerning a potential voter’s eligibility will direct the poll worker to the proper answer.

In other action Tuesday, the supervisors:

• Authorized the Schneider Corp. to proceed with a service agreement to provide Jasper County with the Beacon Web site hosting for the Geographic Information System photos. The Web site will include property information such as land assessment, taxation, and real estate data provided to Schneider.

Cost of the service will be free through Dec. 31, 2009, then $450 per month from Jan. 1, 2010 through Feb. 28, 2011, and then at the regular fee of $550 per month from March 1, 2011 through Dec. 31, 2012.

• Tabled a decision to award a contract for snow removal at the county’s Annex Building and the Law Enforcement Center.