[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},"mediaId",6229343,"mediaKeyId","3464084-ae08867d3d9ee6ec68e6da1bc0c023d6","parentId",3464084,"title","Clerk outlines reduced elections budget, details ballot, postage and staffing costs","audioSeconds",2011,"startMs",3008000,"endMs",5019000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3464084-ae08867d3d9ee6ec68e6da1bc0c023d6&start=3008&end=5019","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3464084-ae08867d3d9ee6ec68e6da1bc0c023d6/thumbnail_3008000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6229343/Bonner-County/Idaho/Clerk-outlines-reduced-elections-budget-details-ballot-postage-and-staffing-costs","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6229343-5c25a9fd52be8e17912a35f13c3b4396/orig.mp4?Expires=1775402210&Signature=FUg0SFrwNnPcX9oTzm5NnnkZnTznuIMy4E2e7z5bvtW5iNq3YM77tzQlMAFByIbQOSmWkDUeHt~Tn7DDUrZRz4pFDq9CjE4WMRsGi3Sw44qa3NcO83eBN6XefQa8TxaxHYss7PPP6jhxLc-y2Qf~XtlbfosIo2H~CZ9J7tqhNb1YBy-df1QW7q~s4Hd1zo-MImVo~a65ylXc76eUyv2DipcWsYTmO9v4iy8d9zAPzrxS~aIXknvRdVEq9BgGOXwbVvhm1synSeJ69c-PslPCcQ7DqhKq-fWQtjufMzHJekMzXPqyoKR~N1gJakXkTJ37OQ7Io741XyNbWEQAAesm0Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-05-23T15:21:25.047Z","article","County elections staff presented line-by-line detail for the elections budget and explained several reductions tied to this being a non‑presidential year.

Elections staff said the office consolidated previous bulk election budgets into more specific line items and cut overall election-supply totals because 2026 will not be a presidential year. Staff noted the office reduced a prior bulk supply line (about $48,000 in older budgets) and redistributed amounts into per‑election categories; one election-supply line was reduced by roughly $10,000 for the coming year.

Staff described the mechanics and costs: a partisan primary can generate up to five ballot faces in some precinct splits; ballot printing for a heavily split election can run in the low tens of thousands of dollars (staff cited roughly $12,000 in prior comparable years). Absentee-mail postage is substantial because each absentee mailing contains multiple envelopes and materials; staff used roughly $1 per absentee mailing for budgeting and said the office mailed about 6,600 absentee ballots in November’s presidential election.

On staffing, elections staff explained shifts in poll‑worker budgeting: the office previously budgeted for up to four election events per year and is now budgeting for fewer elections in some years, which reduces anticipated poll-worker wages and training pay. Elections staff also flagged accrued comp time paid to courthouse staff who support election nights and asked auditors and payroll staff to ensure those payments are captured in the proper payroll lines.

The office also listed equipment and maintenance items: small asset needs (printers, label printers and time-stamp devices) and a service contract for voting-equipment maintenance (identified as the HEART contract). Staff noted some scanners for tabulation are costly (staff cited $78,000 as a ballpark for high-end scanners) while smaller printers and peripheral devices are much less expensive.

Commissioners asked for more documentation on travel and training line items and for text notes explaining reductions and the statutory training obligations for election staff. Staff replied that some conferences and statutory trainings are required and that vendor-provided on‑site training (for example from Tyler Technologies) is sometimes available at no cost.

Next steps: elections staff will add more detailed notes to travel, education and printing lines, clarify which conferences are statutory requirements, and work with auditors to ensure comp‑time payouts and payroll coding for election overtime are captured in the appropriate budget lines.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Budget Workshops - Clerk (Auditing, Assistance, Courts, Elections, Recording) 5/22/25 @ 9:00 AM","oneSentenceSummary","Bonner County election officials presented a pared-down elections budget that reduces some line items for a non-presidential year, detailed printing and postage needs for ballots and absentee mailings, and discussed poll-worker staffing, contract maintenance and accrued comp‑time.","taxTitle","Bonner County, Idaho","taxId",49415,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6229347,"Recorder proposes storage, scanner replacement and fraud‑alert service in budget workshop",962,1101000,2063000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3464084-ae08867d3d9ee6ec68e6da1bc0c023d6&start=1101&end=2063","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3464084-ae08867d3d9ee6ec68e6da1bc0c023d6/thumbnail_1101000.jpg","/articles/6229347/Bonner-County/Idaho/Recorder-proposes-storage-scanner-replacement-and-fraudalert-service-in-budget-workshop","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6229347-91d70e2ddacafcad163dc790d9c94c07/orig.mp4?Expires=1775402210&Signature=IhHOvVFflBdEgeinL-rW~iAQcBYNbL4nHwjpuhspbB-HioYoExO2i-Hj-bX~lTWuMeGEjEUuvQ5M1eLFBeHdhqC~IexTa3Rjlkd8VUAGJsYtfcHgVS13lHq6dp1l~mF~UFqtZIQuK01KuicK8~rBLiwb6ajuOsmf~vHjPiKiguT1QorSaVoLMg6qRe-7j1IEcesrf1wU9E1QBMk1RBtlC69~~0uvROSj6IqiuBXJt8OG1RtvGGbeBw-Kb1hbwWuLvApXik9DiAzDglI8UhNZDwEarGqGamdNpa0kY775qHlOGZ0yH2tOFj8nU4~4fKTtqajfr2SKDuusDKT-4E1ppA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","County recording staff outlined several equipment and service requests for the Recorder’s budget and described revisions to revenue estimates during the workshop.

Recorder staff said projected copy and recording revenues were lowered from prior budget levels after reviewing year‑to‑date collections. The recorder’s office reported a modest projected increase in one recording revenue line but said several copy- and recording-related lines were reduced to reflect recent trends.

On capital and enhancement requests, staff asked the commissioners to approve new large-format plan storage cabinets to hold maps and plats; staff estimated lined fire-/water-resistant style cabinets at about $11,000. The office also reported a 10‑year‑old large-format printer/scanner whose optical reader has failed and for which repair support was unavailable; staff listed a replacement estimate of roughly $12,700 and said they would check whether separate dedicated scanner and printer units would be cheaper.

The Recorder also proposed a commercial property-fraud monitoring service from Tyler Technologies. Staff described the request as $11,400 up front with a recurring $1,500 annual fee; the service would notify property owners when documents are recorded against their parcels so owners can respond before filings are finalized.

Staff told commissioners that the state Supreme Court’s increasing control over courtroom IT has limited the county’s ability to buy devices that attach to the court network; that dynamic affects which equipment the clerk and recorder offices can reasonably budget to purchase.

Commissioners and staff asked for clearer line-item descriptions in the budget so reviewers can see whether a small-asset purchase is necessary or whether an amount should be placed in a miscellaneous contingency line. Commissioner Williams said departments should add explanatory notes when unusual or low-value lines remain in the budget.

Next steps: staff said they will clean and reformat the enhancement spreadsheet, copy the detailed amounts into the county budget file, and add explanatory notes for revenue and enhancement lines so the commissioners can justify proposed purchases.

","Bonner County Recorder staff asked commissioners to fund large-format plan storage boxes and a replacement large-format printer/scanner, and proposed a paid property-fraud notification service from Tyler Technologies; staff also adjusted recording revenue estimates based on year-to-date figures.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6229352,"Bonner County reviews court-clerk budget, staff propose AI-assisted job reviews",710,378000,1088000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3464084-ae08867d3d9ee6ec68e6da1bc0c023d6&start=378&end=1088","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3464084-ae08867d3d9ee6ec68e6da1bc0c023d6/thumbnail_378000.jpg","/articles/6229352/Bonner-County/Idaho/Bonner-County-reviews-court-clerk-budget-staff-propose-AI-assisted-job-reviews","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6229352-c23f213ab9345057136e94339f2cc6ad/orig.mp4?Expires=1775402210&Signature=RzjRfTx5zI3vUl9AbcxE7SAaxXR-Kl-BAGNbRDfJOYx9YKyEUu0xF3lpqLozFr~GADd5ISBM4Ppp5no84STBWV7rDfGiU2aWPhcz5DEYtbP33vmvZutywiW3Dv9P~Ti~BFmvictfxfole7Ek9ZhcdnXRlIEwJn~BS5wmVlGbzO234IksvqmS4cXCyBkXtvIH8Jjil1dGkdCgm0JnJhHfhipqPFfUkpunCtVsIrHMMkQOl-tLlpNL4iLm8RZRq6949zxRRrbX6YU3oWZy2BB1YrVL6feTr7RTI~lCCpIFhnAy43SLpjWRg620Arq-6FLDTIvkEkeBPQBWeYq1SiohIA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Bonner County commissioners and staff reviewed the county’s 3401 court clerks budget during a budget workshop and discussed a proposal to use artificial intelligence to help evaluate job classifications.

The court clerks’ budget contains little beyond payroll: office supplies, small assets and repairs make up the non-pay portion. A presenter for the clerks’ office said the three categories together total about $8,000 and noted the district court has historically paid many travel and conference costs.

Why it matters: staff told commissioners the county has lost clerk staff to the prosecutor’s and public defender’s offices because those positions sometimes pay more for comparable work. The discussion addressed both the limited non-pay budget and longer-term pay-grade questions that affect recruitment and retention.

Most of the immediate budget talk focused on whether to keep modest miscellaneous and small-asset line items for contingencies. Commissioners suggested adding short explanatory notes in the budget text boxes when a line is reduced or left near zero so auditors and future reviewers understand why an amount remains in the budget even if not currently used.

Staff also described a narrowing of what the county can buy for courtrooms: the state (the Supreme Court’s administration) controls courtroom networked equipment and has restricted local purchases of devices that touch that network. That change, staff said, reduces likelihood of future small-asset purchases for courtroom equipment.

Separately, county staff presented job-description comparisons and asked the commissioners to consider using AI as an analytical tool to assist HR. The presenter said AI-based analyses showed court-clerk descriptions could warrant higher pay-grade ratings than some positions in the prosecutor’s or public defender’s offices, and the presenter left materials for the commissioners and HR to review.

Commissioner Williams said he supported limited use of AI as a starting point, with human review: \"I'm okay with using it as a starting point as long as we have human eyes always checking and validating the information.\"

Next steps: staff said they will leave the AI analysis and job-description materials with Commissioners Williams and Domke and will seek HR feedback. The clerk’s office will add explanatory notes to budget lines and will bring the court-clerk items back for further review at the district court budget meeting scheduled in the coming weeks.

","At a Bonner County budget workshop, commissioners and staff reviewed the 3401 court clerks budget, discussed small non-pay line items and the limits on county purchases imposed by the state court system, and considered using AI tools to re-evaluate pay grades for clerk positions.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Clerk outlines reduced elections budget, details ballot, postage and staffing costs

Recorder proposes storage, scanner replacement and fraud‑alert service in budget workshop

Bonner County reviews court-clerk budget, staff propose AI-assisted job reviews