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By VICKI URBANIK The Porter County Election Board is proposing to move voter registration staff and election equipment to larger quarters, as it also seeks an additional $140,000 to carry out possible referendums on school construction projects. The election board and Voter Registration officials on Friday discussed those and other projects that could occupy their work this year, an off-year for regular elections. Election officials say the Voter Registration office is cramped and needs to move into a larger facility, not only to house current staff and equipment, but also to provide more space for absentee/early voting prior to an election. Noting the long lines that snaked outside of the County Administration Center during early voting last November, Election Board President J.J. Stankiewicz said he was amazed that no real problems arose. He said the cramped conditions would likely be experienced again with future early voting. Election Board member Patrick Lyp also said election materials, such as voting machines, are stored at a number of county sites and that it would be better to have everything in one place. "At some point, we’re simply going to outgrow it," he said of the existing office, located on the first floor of the County Administration center. Lyp also expressed concern the county is currently paying about $60,000 a year to the election software vendor for electrical-related services, a task that he said basically amounts to plugging in the voter equipment. With a proper wiring system and more space for the equipment, that cost could be cut, he said. Voter Registration directors Sundae Kubacki and Kathy Kozuszek said they have already begun looking at other possible sites and have enlisted the help of Kubacki’s mother, Valarie Kubacki, a real estate agent. The goal will be to find an alternate site in the downtown Valparaiso area, Kozuszek said. Lyp said ideally, a new site should be selected sometime in the spring, so that the move won’t interfere with next year’s elections. "This is the ideal year to do it," Kozuszek agreed. Both Stankiewicz and Lyp agreed that if the Voter Registration office does relocate, the County Commissioners would likely have no problem finding another use for the space vacated. School Referendums The Election Board also agreed to seek an additional appropriation of $140,000 from the Porter County Council to carry out several possible special referendums this year. Under a new state law, major school construction projects can go forward only if approved by the voters in a referendum after a remonstrance is filed to a school bond issue. Remonstrances have already been filed for two school projects. One is a $35 million school expansion in Porter Township. The other is for a new $40 million career center proposed by the Michigan City School Corp., which includes a portion of Pine Township; a remonstrance to that project has been filed by voters in Beverly Shores. Election officials said there is also talk of a school project in Union Township. Another possible school referendum -- though not discussed by the election board -- could be for a new elementary school in the Duneland School Corp. No final decision on a new school has been made yet, though the school board last year acquired property in Jackson Township and is in the process of refinancing the Chesterton High School bond to make a new bond more feasible. It will be up to the school boards involved to decide if they want to proceed with a referendum this year or wait until the next regular election in 2010. Once a school board agrees to proceed, the county must hold a referendum within 60 to 120 days. Kubacki and Kozuszek said under the worst-case scenario, each referendum would cost the county $35,000, though they expect the final cost to be much lower because they would use existing part-time staff instead of hiring election-day workers as in a normal election. Election board members said that ideally, the school referendums would be held on the same day, but they noted that the issue is largely out of their control. Kozuszek added that doing so would not result in a major cost savings. The election board agreed to send a letter to the council seeking the funds. Stankiewicz at first suggested seeking a judge’s mandate to order the funding approved, but Election Board member Pam Fish said it would more appropriate first to make a request to the council. Lyp agreed, but said state law needs to be changed to require that school corporations, not counties, pay the referendum costs. Fish said she has contacted two state legislators seeking this change. Other Matters Also Friday, the election board retained the same officers as in 2008: Stankiewicz as chair, Lyp as vice-chair and Fish as secretary. The election board also discussed a possible redrawing of precinct boundaries to split up precincts that are now saturated and to address recent city or town annexations. The last time the county reviewed the precinct boundaries was about eight years ago, Kozuszek said. Fish also gave a report on the possible establishment of vote centers, which would reduce the number of polling places but which would allow voters to vote anywhere in the county. The county is currently waiting on cost information from its election vendor about the feasibility of vote centers and is watching the outcome of H.B. 1497, which could clear the way for vote centers in all counties.
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