City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: FEBRUARY 6, 2013
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: RASHAD M. YOUNG, CITY MANAGER
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Public Hearing, Second Reading and Final Passage of an Ordinance to Establish First Baptist Church of Alexandria as a Temporary Replacement for the Chinquapin Recreation Center Polling Place for the June 11 and November 5, 2013 Elections. [ROLL-CALL VOTE]
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ISSUE: Consideration of an ordinance to establish First Baptist Church of Alexandria as a temporary replacement for the Chinquapin Recreation Center polling place for the June 11 and November 5, 2013 Elections.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council pass on first reading and set for public hearing, second reading and final passage on February 23, 2013, an ordinance to establish First Baptist Church of Alexandria as a temporary replacement for the Chinquapin Recreation Center polling place for the June 11 and November 5, 2013 Elections.
BACKGROUND: The Alexandria Electoral Board, which is comprised of three bipartisan members who are appointed by the Alexandria Circuit Court for staggered three year terms, is responsible for making recommendations to City Council concerning changes in precinct boundaries and for establishing new precincts. City Council has the authority to make the recommended changes. The Electoral Board is required to provide polling places that are accessible to all voters and the Board continually strives to provide voters with the most accessible facilities that will provide the most suitable space for voting.
DISCUSSION: The Chinquapin Recreation Center will not be available as a polling place for the June 11 and November 5, 2013 Elections because this facility will be closed for at least five months due to HVAC renovations beginning May 6, 2013. The Health Department will not permit occupancy of the building during this period because of safety concerns. After considering all options for a temporary replacement, the Alexandria Electoral Board agreed to recommend that City Council approve an ordinance to establish the First Baptist Church of Alexandria, which is located at 2932 King Street, as a temporary replacement for the Chinquapin Recreation Center polling place for the June 11 and November 5, 2013 Elections.
According to State law (Section 24.2-310.1 of the Code of Virginia) polling places are to be located in public buildings whenever practical. In light of this requirement, the Electoral Board first considered the T.C. Williams King Street Campus and the T.C. Williams Minnie Howard Campus as potential temporary replacements for Chinquapin before recommending First Baptist Church of Alexandria. After carefully considering these options, the Electoral Board determined that the best alternative for a temporary replacement for Chinquapin is the First Baptist Church of Alexandria for the following reasons:
1. Parking for Voters: There are 250 parking spaces immediately adjacent to proposed polling place at the North East side of the First Baptist Church of Alexandria (Rooms 150C and 150D) while there are severe parking limitations at the T.C. Williams King Street Campus and T.C. Williams Minnie Howard Campus.
2. Conflict With Other Activities: Representatives at the First Baptist Church of Alexandria have indicated that there will be minimal conflict with other activities at the church on June 11 and November 5, 2013, while there will be a large number of students at the T.C. Williams King Street Campus and T.C. Williams Minnie Howard Campus.
3. Accessibility of the Facility and Available Space: There is a significant amount of space available for use as a polling place in the First Baptist Church of Alexandria and this facility is very accessible to voters.
4. Use of First Baptist Church of Alexandria for Other Activities: The use of the First Baptist Church of Alexandria as a temporary polling place is consistent with the use of this facility for other City functions including the City Manager's Open House for City Employees which was held at the First Baptist Church of Alexandria on January 24, 2013.
5. Other Places of Worship are Used as Polling Places: The City currently has 26 polling places including four polling places in places of worship. These facilities include the Agudas Achim Congregation, Temple Beth El Synagogue, Blessed Sacrament Church and St. James Church.
Representatives of the First Baptist Church of Alexandria have agreed that the City can use their facility as a temporary replacement for Chinquapin and the Electoral Board recommends that City Council approve the ordinance that has been drafted by the City Attorney. If Council approves this ordinance, the United States Justice Department will also need to approve this request to facilitate the temporary change from the Chinquapin Recreation Center to the First Baptist Church of Alexandria polling place for the June 11 and November 5, 2013 Elections. The City Attorney will prepare a submission for the Justice Department. In addition, after the request has been approved, the Electoral Board will send notifications to all of the registered voters in this precinct. The Electoral Board is required to send a notice prior to the June 11, 2013 Election. Although only one notice is legally required, staff recommends that a second notice be sent to voters prior to the November 5, 2013 Election as an added measure to ensure that voters are aware of this temporary replacement polling place.
FISCAL IMPACT: It will cost approximately $3,000 to send each of the notifications to all of the registered voters in the affected precincts, for a total cost of $6,000.
ATTACHMENT:
Attachment 1: Cover Sheet
Attachment 2: Ordinance
STAFF: Donald E. Ledwig, Secretary, Alexandria Electoral Board
Susan B. Kellom,Chair, Alexandria Electoral Board
Bruce A. Brown, Vice Chairman, Alexandria Electoral Board
James L. Banks, City Attorney
James Spengler, Director, Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities
Eric Spicer, Elections Administrator
Tom Parkins, General Registrar