Minutes - Council - 11/12/2024 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Councilmember Howell noted that this item is not to ask the Council to approve an agreement with the County, it is to have a discussion on the direction the Council would like to go in regard to pollbooks. She explained that they would bring this agreement to the County to see if there is an appetite for this new agreement. Mayor Kuzma asked if they even need to vote on this if it is just the starting point to get discussions started with the County. City Attorney Knaak explained that they can vote on this for whether or not they bring this to the County for consideration. He noted that by leaving this on the table they can say that this is a matter that the City Council continues to consider.He said if this gets voted down,then they would be going to the County with nothing. Councilmember Riley noted that this agreement is very different from the now terminated agreement as it goes in a totally different direction to paper pollbooks. Councilmember Howell said this was the starting point that she and Councilmembers Musgrove and Olson had agreed upon to bring to the Council. Councilmember Woestehoff stated that another agreement did not need to be presented at this time. He added that he does not agree with anything within the agreement and this is an attempt to replace the electronic pollbooks which work extremely well and are very efficient. He said the electronic pollbooks prevent voter fraud and offer a better experience for both voters and Staff. He asked if the County can still require the City to use electronic pollbooks. City Attorney Knaak added that the City will still need to use electronic pollbooks if the County requires it. Councilmember Woestehoff said he feels like this is very political and not practical. Councilmember Howell rejected Councilmember Woestehoff's framing of this narrative. She explained that this is the proposal that she and Councilmembers Musgrove and Olson settled on. Councilmember Riley said he would not like to see anything in this agreement about not using electronic pollbooks as this will not go anywhere with the County as they will require them to be used. He stated he would have thought they would have taken whatever City Attorney Knaak found objectionable in the now terminated agreement and framed it in more neutral terms. Councilmember Howell shared that her intent with bringing this item forward was to see the appetite of the entire Council. She stated she does understand that they have to work with the County on this agreement; however, they still need to approach the County with their agreements. Councilmember Specht said it is important that they come up with an agreement that is the best solution. He noted that they will not all agree on this but that is why items are passed based on a majority vote. He shared that he thinks this agreement is a good idea to present to the County and see where things go from there. City Council/November 12, 2024 Page 14 of 17