A lease agreement allowing the Grand Traverse Bay YMCA to occupy the county-owned Civic Center will prevent the facility from being used as a city polling station going forward.

City Clerk Benjamin Marentette is recommending city commissioners tonight (Monday) approve using Northwestern Michigan College's gymnasium as the new city polling station for Precinct 8 voters. There are 2,442 voters within the precinct, who traditionally have cast their votes at the Civic Center for the past several years. "Unfortunately, they (the YMCA) have indicated we cannot to continue to use that facility as a polling place, and the lease agreement between Grand Traverse County and the Y does not provide for our continued use," Marentette explained in a memo to commissioners.

NMC has agreed to let the city use its gymnasium for free for elections beginning with the August 2016 primary. While the location is not within the actual borders of the precinct, that is not a mandated legal requirement; Marentette also noted that "no suitable buildings" were located within the precinct's boundaries. If the new polling location is approved by commissioners, Marentette will mail a new voter registration card to all Precinct 8 voters explaining the change, with another reminder going out before the November election. Marentette also noted the boundaries of Precinct 8 and Precinct 9 - which has 1,451 voters - will likely soon be adjusted to better "equalize" the number of voters going to the city's different polling stations.