The Jefferson County Board of Commissioners approved the purchase of 19 DS200 ballot scanners and tabulators for a total of $147,649, voting to make an $80,000 payment in the current fiscal year and pay the remainder in the next budget year if funding is available. The purchase was described to the board as a sole-source acquisition tied to compatibility with existing equipment.

The election department’s representative, Cathy DeBell, said the county had budgeted $80,000 for this year and another $80,000 for next year and had discussed the payment schedule with ES&S (Election Systems & Software). “So they’re gonna split it so that we'll get part of it this year and part of it next year,” DeBell told commissioners. The board’s motion approved the purchase contingent on the vendor invoicing in two payments and funds being available in the next budget year.

The county clerk’s office and the elections representative also supplied a price comparison sheet showing the quoted price was consistent with what other counties pay, a step commissioners said they needed when using a sole-source procurement path that exceeds the advertising threshold. The board emphasized the need to document that a sole-source price is reasonable when the competitive advertising process is bypassed.

Commissioners moved and seconded the measure and called for roll call; the transcript records the motion, the second and that a roll call was taken. No further details about vendor delivery timing were transcribed at the vote.

Why it matters: the DS200 scanners and associated tabulators are the county’s primary equipment for processing ballots; replacing or expanding compatible devices can affect how the county runs elections and how it budgets for capital costs.

The county will record the second payment in next year’s budget if funding is available; the motion requires that contingency before the county issues the second invoice.