Farmers Branch council declines to add West Side polling site for June runoff, will revisit locations later

The City of Farmers Branch City Council discussed whether to add a West Side polling location for the June 13 mayoral runoff but decided not to add a new site for the immediate runoff and asked staff to revisit polling-location planning for future elections.

Stacy Henderson, director of administrative services, told the council Dallas County estimated "approximately $16,000" to add an additional polling location and outlined two West Side public facilities under consideration: the Kenan Service Center at 13333 Davis and the Sunlac Service Center. Henderson said the Sunlac site is still under construction and not yet fully available.

Henderson reported voting activity at existing sites to inform the council’s decision. She said the Envision location saw 335 early‑voting and 379 election‑day ballots (714 total in March), while the Manske Library recorded 2,298 early‑voting and 781 election‑day ballots in May for a cited total of 3,683 at that site.

Council members questioned whether the cost would be justified by turnout. "So that works out to about $22 — almost $23 — per voter," Councilman Reed said while referencing the county estimate and the Envision turnout.

One councilwoman recommended consolidating underused sites and focusing on three locations to cover the city: the library, Dallas College Brookhaven campus, and Envision. She cautioned that changing locations now, ahead of a primary runoff that will use Envision, risked confusing voters.

A separate council speaker raised legal and operational concerns about using private sites, noting public facilities do not charge facility fees and provide greater assurance of compliance with election‑code requirements. Henderson told the council that because this runoff follows the May election, Dallas County requires the city to use the same facilities used in May, though the city may add an additional facility; the county will, in practice, repeat some May facilities even if they performed poorly.

Councilman Neal said runoff elections typically draw lower turnout and that with limited time to communicate a new site and the additional expense, he did not favor adding a West Side site for this runoff. Several members agreed the city should not change sites for the upcoming runoff but should schedule a fuller discussion of polling locations and communication strategies for future elections.

Staff summarized the council’s direction as not proceeding with a new West Side site for the June 13 runoff and returning with a more comprehensive plan for future elections.

The item was informational and required no motion; staff noted they would bring polling‑location options back for later consideration.