HCEC Moving to EMS Building
A unanimous vote from the Hardeman County Commission put the Hardeman County Election Commission on a path for a different facility in the coming year, contrary to statements made during July, September, and October meetings of the commission.
All thirteen attending commissioners voted for the Election Commission to move to and share the Hardeman County EMS Building at an estimated cost of $350,000, which will include renovations and a paved parking lot, according to Hardeman County Building Committee Chairperson David Bell. Earlier in the month, a quote for a new building for the commission was given by architectural firm A2H for $1.6 million.
The unanimous vote to move to the EMS Building on Lucy Black Road came as somewhat a surprise as commissioners had voiced opposition to moving there in past meetings.
In July, Commissioner Bobby Wright objected to the Ambulance Service Building being considered, saying it wasn’t feasible to run an election office from where emergency vehicles were dispatched.
“We’re not moving into the EMS Building,” said Commissioner Mark Gilliam on September 19, reminding the commissioners that the idea was on no one’s list of possible solutions.
After the vote last week, Gilliam said they were out of options and it came with a positive recommendation from the Building Committee.
“It’s just the best option right now. There’s no other viable one,” he said. “Coming from the Building Committee, it’s the best choice. In a perfect world, I’d love to see us build, but we don’t have the appropriate funds.”
In October, an apparent change of heart saw Commissioner Bobby Wright bring up the Hardeman County EMS housing the commission and asked Hardeman County Administrator of Elections Amber Moore her opinion.
“No,” she said, adding the danger of EMS personnel and vehicles mingling with the public coming to vote, to which Wright said that it was a shame that the $1 million building was only using half of its square footage. “I feel like we need to make use of it,” he added.
Commissioner Johnny Weems says he shared a reluctance to move to the EMS Building, but the promise of additional parking made the plan a feasible one.
“I didn’t see it without more parking,” he added.
Not attending the meeting were Commissioners Brad Grantham, John Vickers, and Thomas Polk.
For more than 20 years, the Election Commission has been at 106 S. Porter Street but changes to election law this past year in Tennessee require more storage space and a paper trail for various documents, according to Hardeman County Election Commission Administrator Amber Moore.