September 19, 2024
By: Dwayne Page
The DeKalb County Election Commission Office may be moving from the courthouse to the county complex within the next few months subject to funding.
During a meeting Tuesday night, the county commission’s public works committee voted to approve the plan of Election Administrator Dustin Estes using both unfinished spaces at the complex in what was designed for the county mayor’s office. Not only would the move provide more space for the election commission to operate but ensure tighter security at the courthouse.
Estes presented his floor plan to the committee a month ago but it was not drawn to scale showing exact square footage measurements. He returned to the committee Tuesday night with a more detailed plan.
“I came last month and officially requested to move our offices from the courthouse to the county complex,” said Estes. “Since then, I presented the same information to the commission workshop where Commissioner Larry Green requested a more detailed floor plan that was to scale. That is what I am providing you tonight,” he said.
“The current square footage of what we occupy with our offices (courthouse) and storage is 1,269.7 square feet. Including the courtroom calculating the area which we use for early voting is 873.75 square feet. In total we occupy 2,143. 5 square feet,” said Estes.
“I have also enclosed details of both unfinished areas at the complex. Looking at the proposed unfinished space #1, not including the bathroom because that is space we would not be able to use unless it was knocked out, is 1,140.69 square feet,” Estes explained. “Comparing that to just our office and storage space (courthouse) we are actually short 120 square feet. If you add on the unfinished space #2, not including the IT closet, that’s an additional 1,123.45 square feet so in total we come out ahead about 200 square feet,” he said.
“If we include early voting within close proximity to where our offices are located (complex) we would need both spaces. The alternative would be our offices being on the county offices side of the complex and early voting on the opposite community center side,” said Estes
According to Estes, “If we are only granted one space at a bare minimum with the unfinished space #1, I would request that we knock out the bathroom to open that up to give that much more space. But it is workable to have early voting and our offices together by occupying both unfinished spaces, #1 and #2 at the complex,” Estes said.
County Mayor Matt Adcock said based on action taken at the last meeting of the public works committee, he randomly selected three construction companies for quotes to renovate the unfinished spaces at the complex. Two of them responded. One provided a quote of $88,000 and the other was for $157,200. The third company never came back with a quote.
“These contractors came and I met them there at the rooms and showed them everything that needed to be done. I shared with them the first layout that Dustin had given us and asked them to give us a quote to make this happen,” said County Mayor Adcock.
Committee member Andy Pack made a motion to proceed with Estes’ plan to use both unfinished spaces for the election commission office and for the budget committee to decide on the funding source. Member Glynn Merriman offered a second to the motion. Others voting in favor were members Sabrina Farler, Myron Rhody, and Chairman Mathias Anderson.