Section 2-9-112 - State financing of voting machines - Agreement(a) When the governing body of a county requests the coordinator of elections to have the state finance the acquisition of a specified number of voting machines under §§ 2-9-112 - 2-9-114, the governing body of the county and the coordinator of elections shall enter into an agreement to be known as a "contract, lease and option," subject to the following requirements:(1) The original lease term shall be for a period agreed to by the governing body of the county and the coordinator of elections. The county shall have the exclusive right and option to extend the term of the lease from year to year for periods of one (1) year at a time for an agreed period. The total lease period shall in no case exceed twenty (20) years.(2) The rentals prescribed for the original term and for each of the full number of years for which the lease may be extended shall not be less than the amounts required in each of such years to amortize the total amount of bonds issued to defray the cost of the machines.(3) The governing body of the county shall agree, in each effective year of the lease, to maintain the voting machines.(4) If the governing body of the county fails or neglects to pay any of the rentals prescribed, the commissioner of finance and administration shall retain the sum necessary for such payment out of any state funds distributable to the county for any purpose. No statutory requirement that any distributable, state collected, locally shared funds shall be used exclusively for a designated purpose shall be construed as preventing the commissioner of finance and administration from taking out of such fund.(5) The contract, lease and option may contain any other reasonable provision deemed necessary and desirable by the commissioner, the coordinator of elections or the governing body of the county.(6) Subject to all of the above, when the governing body of a county requests the coordinator of elections to have the state finance the cost of modifying its voting machines in order to comply with the specifications of this chapter, the governing body of the county and the coordinator of elections shall enter into an agreement to be known as a "voting machine loan agreement." The agreement shall be subject to all the terms and conditions as if the county were purchasing machines. The agreement shall provide that the state maintain a lien on such machines until such agreement is satisfied and that such agreements are subject to an annual interest rate of six percent (6%).(b) If federal or state grants are used to completely pay for the voting machines or destruction of the voting machines, in lieu of the governing body of a county entering into the contract, lease, and option agreement, a county election commission may, in its sole discretion, elect by majority vote to enter into the contract, lease, and option agreement.Amended by 2024 Tenn. Acts, ch. 817,s 2, eff. 4/29/2024.Acts 1972, ch. 740, § 1; T.C.A., § 2-912; Acts 1981, ch. 461, § 2.