(Seguin) – Guadalupe County’s new Elections Office isn’t just drawing praise locally – it’s also catching the attention of colleagues from neighboring counties who see the facility as a much-needed step forward.
Hays County Elections Administrator Jennifer Doinoff, who attended Thursday’s ribbon cutting with members of her team, says Guadalupe County leaders made the right move in prioritizing the project.
“I would always answer ‘yes.’ Election workers need this. They need this because of the amount of focus that we have on elections right now and the heightened awareness of election security and accuracy and I think you need to have that efficiency in your building layout. I think it’s very important and we recently got a new building in Hays County and having that efficiency in the process has really helped to make sure that we are secure, accurate and doing all the things that the law provides,” said Doinoff.
She also points out that Guadalupe County’s new office design reflects a trend across Texas.
“I will tell you that seems to be the theme with the newer facilities that are coming out. You will see a lot of open space. You will see a lot of windows into offices and things like that and so I think the focus is definitely on transparency,” said Doinoff.
Guadalupe County Judge Kyle Kutscher echoes that praise, calling the new building a “reflection of teamwork and foresight.”
“I think the building has turned out great. It kind of embodies that team effort that is always present in the elections department. Our elections administrator Lisa Hayes has been phenomenal. They have a great team. They’re engaged and care about every part of the elections process but now for them to have a building that is safe, secure and accessible, I think it is really a reflection of the teamwork,” said Kutscher.
Although proposing a new building is never easy, Kutscher says he is grateful that the county has delivered yet another financially responsible project to its taxpayers.
“Some of these projects seem like they take a little while especially from the initial conversations and identifying the need and then purchasing the property and then we go through the budget discussions and everybody always has that mindset of ‘gosh, this is a little bit expensive.’ We try to be conservative but also proactive but on a project of any scale and size when you can stay on budget or under budget – even if it takes a little bit longer, be mindful of that, it’s a big win and that’s what happened on this project,” said Kutscher.
The county purchased the building and land in 2022 for $2.15 million, with renovation costs bringing the total project investment to $3.5 million. Construction began in October 2024 and wrapped up in August 2025. Koehler Company and Level 5 Architecture led the project, which officials say was completed on time and within budget.
The former elections office at 215 S. Milam Street now serves as the county’s new purchasing office.