10-23-2001 - Laserfiche WebLink

= Joint Meeting with City Officials--October 23, 2001 2 Mike Montplaisir talked about legislative and county redistricting. When the legislature redistricts, county commission districts also change; and precinct lines will have to be re-drawn. Referring to Florida's ballot counting problems last fall, Mr. Montplaisir said local election procedures are being reviewed. He intends to purchase new precinct scanners next year for counting ballots in about ten precincts, with the idea of adding more scanners, as funding is available, for future elections. Mr. Montplaisir talked about joint powers agreements for the state, county, cities and school districts to hold their elections simultaneously so the voters do not have to go to the polls on separate dates for each of these elections. He believes this will encourage voter turn-out. Representatives from the City of Grandin talked about precinct consolidation in their area and the number of miles voters have to travel on election day. They felt they should have more input on the polling place for their city. Mr. Montplaisir said the number of voters in a precinct, distance from the polls, length of time to wait in line to vote, and availability of election workers are ail factors in determining the location of the county's 56 precincts. Birch Burdick and Don Rudnick each told the group about some of the duties in their respective offices. A question was raised concerning economic development funding for smaller communities, such as the "Magic City Fund" in Minot. Cass County contributes to the Fargo Cass County Economic Development Corporation (FCCEDC), however, it was noted that the Magic Fund is a separate sales tax. FCCEDC has a Growth Initiative Fund, which is a revolving loan pool, and no additional money is levied for that fund because it has reached the targeted goal. The county jail construction project was discussed. Sales tax collections are on target, and the jail should be paid for when it opens. The tax will be concluded upon collection of the specified dollar amount needed for the construction and the first addition, when an expansion is needed. The sales tax will not be used to operate the jail. Commissioners were able to decrease the total county mill levy next year by 2.68 mills, even with the added cost of staffing and operations in the new jail. This was the third year in a few that the County Commission was able to reduce the mill levy. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned about 8:30 PM. County staff members were available for individual comments and questions after the meeting. Minutes prepared by Joyce Schepp, Administrative Secretary