Macon-Bibb committee to vote on proposed site for Board of Elections office

A Macon-Bibb County Commission committee will get details Tuesday about a potential move of the Board of Elections office to the Westgate Shopping Center.

The former Shoe Carnival building on Pio Nono Avenue has been approved by the Board of Elections and now needs support from the County Commission before moving forward. The contract details have to be worked out, but the location will be cheaper and is about 2,000 square feet larger than the current location, County Manager Dale Walker said.

The elections board has been pushing for a new site to alleviate the cramped quarters of the 2445 Pio Nono Ave. office.

"The urgency right now is to say 'OK commissioners, this is where we want to go forward with,'" Walker said. "It's something that we can move into quickly, and it's available."

The commission's Operations and Finance Committee is expected to vote Tuesday on allowing the county to proceed with contract negotiations and to finalize architectural drawings for the site. If approved, that measure would go before the full commission on Nov. 3.

"The new facility has a bus stop and plenty of parking all around the building," Walker said. "It's a good spot for the neighborhood."

The plan is to inform voters about the move in early December, which would the requirement of at least 60 days notice in advance of early voting, Walker said.

The move would need to come quickly with a busy 2016 election cycle that begins in February with early voting for the presidential primary, said Charlene Maynard, administrative assistant for the Board of Elections.

After the U.S. presidential primary election on March 1, there is a general/primary election in May followed by a potential runoff in July.

"Between a primary and runoff, it's a quick turnaround," Maynard said. "You have to be fully set up and be prepared."

The 10-year lease with the Pio Nono Avenue elections office, which cost $103,000 this fiscal year, ends in June. Walker said the county likely would have to pay the remaining months left on the lease.

Commissioner Elaine Lucas said a new location can't come soon enough.

"That just seems like a good location," she said. "It's a solid building that can be renovated. There is plenty of parking, and I'm sure the rent is not what it has been in the (current) building."

There will need to be some modifications to meet the needs of the elections office, Walker said.

"The owner is receptive to building out the interior so we can have the adequate space we need," he said.

To contact writer Stanley Dunlap, call 744-4623 or find him on Twitternote>.

This story was originally published October 24, 2015 at 9:23 PM with the headline "Macon-Bibb committee to vote on proposed site for Board of Elections office ."