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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES -2020-01-07 MINUTES OF THE ELECTION COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF LIVONIA, MICHIGAN A meeting of the Election Commission of the City of Livonia, Michigan, was held on Tuesday, January 7, 2020, at the Livonia City Hall, 33000 Civic Center Drive, Livonia, Michigan at 3:00 p.m., at which time and place the following members of said Commission were present: Present: Maureen Miller Brosnan, Mayor Paul Bernier, City Attorney Susan Nash, City Clerk Also Present: Lori Miller, Deputy City Clerk Susan Nash assumed the duties as Chairperson of the Election Commission. Upon a motion by Commissioner Bernier, supported by Commissioner Brosnan, and unanimously adopted, it was: RESOLVED that the minutes of the Election Commission meeting held on October 20, 2019 are hereby approved. Commissioner Nash initiated the discussion of current pay rates for election workers. Nash stated other communities have increased the rates of pay for election workers. She shared with the Commissioners information regarding current pay rates of neighboring communities, both precinct and counting board inspectors, as well as current amounts paid for attending training sessions. Nash explained Livonia is losing valuable workers to other communities that pay better, including employees of the City who live elsewhere. Commissioner Bernier inquired how many workers are typically assigned to each precinct. Commissioner Nash explained there are ideally six (6) at each polling location: (1) Chairperson; (1) Co-Chairperson; and usually (4) inspectors. Nash explained the rates of pay for inspectors has not been increased in several years and the rates for Chairperson and Co-Chair should be higher because they typically work longer on election days and are required to do more detailed work. Commissioner Nash suggested the pay rates be increased to mirror other neighboring communities. Commissioner Brosnan inquired how the increase will impact the election budget for this year. Commissioner Nash explained funding to pay workers was increased for this year and those rates can be adjusted from one election to the next throughout the calendar year, if necessary. She further explained the City is looking to Minutes of the Election Commission Meeting of January 7, 2020 Page 2 invest in adjudication software for the Presidential Primary and is considering investing further in additional high-speed scanners for the Absentee Ballot Counting Boards, should the number of absentee ballots continue to increase. Commissioner Nash explained since the adoption of Proposal 18-3 last year, the number of registered voters and number of absentee ballots requested continue to increase steadily. She suggested pay rates of the Counting Board members be changed to an hourly rate rather than a flat rate for the day. In addition, the rate of pay for the new positions of adjudicators should mirror that of Counting Board chairpersons because these positions will require more skill and detail. She further explained there was no need to increase the rates for other election positions but did feel the flat rate for training should be increased to $20.00 per session. Commissioner Brosnan suggested the pay rates be increased to mirror the City of Westland, our nearest neighbor. She explained this increase should help keep our current election workers from leaving and would provide more incentive to aid in the recruitment of election workers. Brosnan indicated the request to pay the Counting Board members an hourly rate was a good suggestion and should be adopted with the new pay rates. Brosnan inquired about the $10.00 stipend paid to Chairpeople and Commissioner Nash replied it was put in place years ago, perhaps when people paid by the minute for their cell phone plans. Brosnan suggested the $10.00 cell phone stipend be removed and increase the half-day inspector rate from $70.00 to $85.00 at the precinct. Upon a motion by Commissioner Brosnan, supported by Commissioner Bernier, and unanimously adopted, it was: RESOLVED that the pay rates for election workers for the City of Livonia will be changed effectively immediately as follows: Chairperson $235.00 Flat Rate Co-Chair $210.00 Flat Rate Inspector (Full Day) $170.00 Flat Rate Inspector (Half Day) $85.00 Flat Rate Counting Board Chairperson $16.00 Hourly Rate Counting Board Co-Chair $14.00 Hourly Rate Counting Board Inspector $12.00 Hourly Rate Adjudicator (2 positions) $16.00 Hourly Rate Roving Chair $250.00 Flat Rate + Mileage Receiving Board $30.00 Hourly Rate Training Sessions $20.00 Flat Rate Commissioner Nash explained she has met with the Livonia Public Schools to investigate the possibility of using the Niji-Iro Japanese Immersion Elementary School for future elections and was told it might be available for a one time only use. She indicated LPS has stated they will not allow the use of high schools for election purposes, Minutes of the Election Commission Meeting of January 7, 2020 Page 3 which is current practice. Nash explained the City does not pay to use the schools as polling locations. She is considering approaching the American Legion Hall on Newburgh Road for the possibility of using it as a polling location. Nash explained there are too many precincts within Hoover and Rosedale schools, each with (4) precincts, which is problematic for voters and workers due to the volume of people and the congestion in the parking lots. Commissioner Brosnan stated the schools provide a neutral voting territory which is ideal and inquired if other avenues have been investigated, such as churches or unused City buildings. Brosnan stated perhaps the Housing Department located within the building on Farmington Road could be used as a polling location, which would alleviate some of the volume of voters that previously voted at Garfield, a former polling location. Commissioner Nash indicated this was a good idea and stated with the current trend in increasing absentee voters, perhaps the City will see a decrease in the volume of voters going to the polls at some point in the future. Upon a motion by Commissioner Bernier, supported by Commissioner Brosnan, it was: RESOLVED that the City Clerk and the City Clerk’s staff shall prepare all election precinct supplies and certified ballot containers for use in the Tuesday, March 10, 2020 Presidential Primary Election. Upon a motion by Commissioner Brosnan, supported by Commissioner Bernier, it was: RESOLVED that the City Clerk and the City Clerk’s office staff will perform the preliminary logic and accuracy testing on all ImageCast Tabulators and Voter Assisted Terminals (VAT) ballot marking devices prior to the Tuesday, March 10, 2020 Presidential Primary Election. Upon a motion by Commissioner Bernier, supported by Commissioner Brosnan, and unanimously adopted, this meeting of the Election Commission of the City of Livonia was adjourned at 4:05 p.m. on January 7, 2020. Susan M. Nash Livonia City Clerk xc: Members (3), File