The long fought political battle over where the Duval Supervisor of Election's Warehouse will be located continued Monday at the Jacksonville City Council. The Rules Committee voted to approve a ten-year lease at the One Imeson location off Main Street a little north of the zoo.
The future of the Supervisor of Elections Office is still up in the air.
Despite the Rules Committee vote, later on Monday the Transportation, Energy & Utilities Committee voted to approve a new ten-year lease at the current location in the Gateway Town Center.
Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland has long wanted to leave the Gateway location. The building is in disrepair and the rent is high. The new owners at Gateway have offered to lower the rent and make repairs, including replacing a long broken escalator with a new elevator.
Holland says that even with the improvements One Imeson is a better fit for his office's needs. He says the location is one floor, making it much easier to move voting equipment. Gateway is a second floor location.
Since late last year, when Holland proposed building a new combined elections office and warehouse downtown on city owned land in LaVilla, the future of the SOE has become a political football.
Three lease proposals were initially introduced to the city council, a highly unusual move since leases are usually worked out by the mayor's administration through a request for proposals.
The three competing plans started an open bidding processes, with each potential landlord changing their proposals in response to one another. A proposal to move into a shopping center on Beach Boulevard was eventually withdrawn, leaving Gateway and One Imeson. The two proposals are near even in cost to the city.
Last month the city council said enough was enough, telling Mayor Alvin Brown's office to come up with a deal or council member would do it for them.
Last month, the administration parted with Holland and tossed it's support behind remaining at Gateway. The Finance Committee will vote Tuesday to support one of the lease deals, with a final vote by the full council expected next week.
