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St. Francois County Commission authorizes election equipment contracts, sole-source tabulation purchase and insurance-funded fleet replacement
Summary
The commission authorized two election-equipment contracts (to replace aging voting machines), approved a sole-source tabulation system purchase from Atkins & Sons with amortized payments, and permitted a sheriff’s vehicle purchase paid from insurance proceeds; all actions were approved by voice vote.
St. Francois County commissioners approved multiple procurement actions Wednesday tied to elections administration, tabulation equipment and the sheriff’s fleet.
Elections staff told commissioners they received two bids for replacement equipment and used a 10-day public notice to confirm sole-source supplier designations before requesting authorization to sign contracts so grant-funded work can proceed this fiscal year. "It will print your ballot and it will also issue a receipt to that ballot," an elections staff speaker said, describing the new machines’ ID readers, printers and receipt functions. The board authorized the contract for $127,800 to allow grant billing and to replace machines the vendor no longer supports.
The commission also approved a sole-source purchase from Atkins & Sons for tabulation and counting equipment, a line-item discussed at length for cost and financing. Staff and commissioners agreed to amortize the machinery cost over 10 years given the county’s long replacement cycle. A commissioner summarized the financing approach: "We're gonna divide that over that period of time," and the board approved entering the contract.
Board members also granted permission for the sheriff's office to use insurance proceeds to replace a patrol vehicle declared a total loss after an accident. The sheriff said the insurance payment will cover most of the replacement cost, the county will buy back the salvaged unit for its parts and re-equip the incoming vehicle, and estimated the immediate out-of-pocket re-equipping cost at about $1,800.
Each of those items was advanced by motion and approved by voice vote. The meeting record reflects the motions were seconded and a series of 'Aye' responses but no roll-call tallies are recorded in the transcript.
Why it matters: the equipment approvals affect how local elections will be run and audited (new printers, receipts and ballot-printing workflows), and the tabulation purchase commits the county to a multi-year financing plan for machinery long overdue for replacement. Replacing a patrol vehicle promptly keeps first responders at full strength without drawing on the county’s operating budget.
What’s next: staff will finalize contracts, pursue grant billing for software upgrades and proceed with procurement steps; the sheriff’s office will complete the local dealer purchase and re-equipping of the new vehicle.
