By Terrica Hendrix
News-Leader staff
Howard County will be responsible for replacing voting machines due to a statewide mandate, JPs learned on Monday at the regular quorum court meeting.
The price tag for the county’s responsibility is $143,131.92 and the state will pay an additional $141,000 for the replacements.
The county has 32 precincts and 13 polling locations.
County Clerk Keri Teague informed the JPs about the hefty replacement fee and said that the county “can still use the machines but the software that supports” the machines would be obsolete.
During next month’s meeting, JPs will discuss payment options and other ideas for the mandated voter machine replacements.
In other business:
• JP’s voted unanimously to appoint Linda Kitchens of Umpire to serve on the county’s library board. Kitchens’ term will be for five years.
• County Judge Kevin Smith said that local contractor Charles Hostetler will paint and clean up the courthouse basement due to recent flooding. Hostetler is expected to start work on the basement next week.
The salvageable documents and books that were kept in the basement have been removed.
