Macon elections office move delayed

Plans have stalled to move the Macon-Bibb County Board of Elections office to a new location in time for the start of a busy 2016 election cycle.

The county is looking into whether it can still move the office into the former Shoe Carnival building in the Westgate Shopping Center after a problem with the lease surfaced last month. The primary holdup has been determining who manages Westgate's buildings, Macon-Bibb spokesman Chris Floore said.

"There are a lot of groups at the table that we're having to work with," he said. "We should know within 60 days if we'll get into the place, but there's already discussion about what's the backup plan."

A question that has come up is whether there's a requirement that only retailers can occupy buildings at that shopping center, Mayor Robert Reichert said.

The county was seeking to have the lease finalized by early December to meet the condition of 60 days notice in advance of early voting for March's U.S. presidential primary. After that primary, the 2016 election calendar continues with a May primary/general election and a potential runoff in July. In November, there are some local, state and federal races are on the ballot with the U.S. presidential election.

Early voting takes place at the current 2445 Pio Nono Ave. elections office. The elections board has been pushing for a new site to alleviate the cramped quarters of the current location where the public has dealt with long lines during early voting.

"One of our largest concerns was waiting outside and that this place was unsuitable for elections," County Commissioner Virgil Watkins said.

If the county can't work out the Westgate space, Macon-Bibb will have to look for another place to move after the current lease at the Pio Nono location ends in June, Reichert said.

In November, the County Commission approved a resolution allowing him to sign a lease to move the election office.

"We've run onto the sandbar," he told commissioners this week.

To contact writer Stanley Dunlap, call 744-4623.

This story was originally published January 6, 2016 at 9:44 PM with the headline "Macon elections office move delayed ."