Saline County is receiving a grant to strengthen its own election security in response to proposed tougher election security regulations in Kansas.
Saline County Clerk and Elections Officer Jamie Doss said the $130,945 grant came from the Kansas Secretary of State's Office through federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) funds.
“(These enhanced) regulations include the physical security of our equipment, our (staff), our ballots, and our election offices,” Doss said.
Doss said the Secretary of State's office announced that all 105 Kansas counties will receive the grants because each county is required to make renovations and improvements to their election offices.
Improvements to the Saline County Elections Office will include enhanced electronic access controls in the secure room, adding an additional layer of security to both the equipment and the office.
Since the state grant requires the county to match a portion of the funds, Saline County will be responsible for 10% of the total grant, or just over $13,000, subject to approval by the Saline County Commission. Is required.
Commissioner and Board Chair Joe Hay asked staff about the $13,000 because Doss' presentation to the board Tuesday indicated there would be no financial impact to the county if the funds were received. Ta.
“Do you already have the budget for that ($13,000)?” Hay asked.
County Executive Philip Smith Haynes said the county's responsibility will come from the Equipment Reserve Fund.
“We had previously set aside $50,000 in that fund for election equipment replacement, so we are proposing to use that for a 10% match,” Smith-Haynes said.
Commissioner Bob Vidriksen thanked Doss for applying for the grant because regulations still need to be met for election security.
“If you had overlooked that (grant), we would have had a greater responsibility to the county. So thank you for doing that,” Vidriksen said.
Ultimately, the commission approved receiving the grant and a 10% match from the county.
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Other business of the Saline County Commission
The Saline County Commission meeting also included:
- Approval of grant application for Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness by Saline County Emergency Management Agency.
- The creation of a new budget department within the county's financial system for the purpose of planning and maintaining facilities was approved.
- Latest information from the county planning and zoning department.
- A 10-minute executive session to discuss potential litigation with your attorney. No action was taken after the session.
