Maricopa supervisors authorize sending revised shared‑services agreement draft, redlines to Recorder Justin Heap

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Thursday to send Recorder Justin Heap a cover letter and both redlined and clean drafts of a revised shared‑services agreement (SSA) that spells out which office will carry out specific election duties and how shared information‑technology functions will be split.

The vote came after presentations by the board’s outside counsel, county elections staff and the county’s elections director describing a months‑long negotiation process that culminated in a productive April 11 meeting between board leaders and the recorder. The board’s action authorizes the chair and vice chair to deliver the proposed SSA text and a brief cover letter to the recorder and his counsel for further consideration.

The agreement governs routine operational responsibilities that are split under Arizona law between the recorder and the board’s elections office, and includes provisions addressing pre‑tabulation processing, in‑person early voting, public‑records handling and an IT analysis and procurement process to separate intertwined systems. Outside counsel Emily Kreger, retained by the…