Minutes 07/25/1996 - Laserfiche WebLink

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THURSDAY, JULY 25. 1996 A special and duly-called meeting of the Council of the City of Martinsville, Virginia, with Mayor George B. Adams, Jr. presiding, was held Thursday, July 25, 1996 in the Council Chamber, City Hall, beginning at 7:.3Q~.P~.M. All members of Council were present: George B. Adams, Jr., Mayor; Mark A. Crabtree, Vice-Mayor; Bruce H. T. Dallas; Elizabeth H. Haskell; and M. Gene Teague. 201 The Mayor announced the purpose of the special meeting was to consider delaying submission of Ordinance No. 96-6, which was adopted on an emergency basis during the July 23, 1996 Council meeting, until the August 13, 1996 Council meeting. Also present at this meeting were the members of the Electoral Board (Jean Adams, Newton Ogden and Lynn Henry) and Ercell Cowan, City Registrar. Electoral Board Chair Jean Adams read from a prepared statement in which it was noted that, in response to Council's action delaying implementation of the electronic voting system until after the November, 1996 General Election, the Electoral Board had stopped all action toward the purchase of the new system. Ms. Adams said a representative of Global Elections Systems, Inc. would be present at the August 13, 1996 meeting to demonstrate the mark sense electronic system of voting, which was approved for purchase in the FY 96-97 Budget. Ms. Adams reviewed the Electoral Board's reasons for recommending purchase of the new system, among which was the difficulty in storing the current mechanical machines, which weigh 600 pounds, problems in securing replacement parts, and delays in tabulating votes. Ms. Adams said the Electoral Board wished to implement the new system in the November, 1996 General Election due to the large number of races and issues which will be on the ballot.