[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-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",[32,75,87],{"_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":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6539563,"mediaKeyId","3635046-8f9fb9ad023514155dac143e19d4c5e1","parentId",3635046,"title","Elections office seeks $2 million-plus from fund balance for new voting system, requests personnel reorganization and equipment","audioSeconds",2989,"startMs",2995000,"endMs",5116,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3635046-8f9fb9ad023514155dac143e19d4c5e1&start=2995&end=5","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3635046-8f9fb9ad023514155dac143e19d4c5e1/thumbnail_2995000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6539563/Kootenai-County/Idaho/Elections-office-seeks-2-million-plus-from-fund-balance-for-new-voting-system-requests-personnel-reorganization-and-equipment","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6539563-52a888a891c0b7244ac36e03cf3226da/orig.mp4?Expires=1775352234&Signature=L7gbyA0FOvrI3Gf3OQSUWVRwjITdn0qdZoYkw~fdHy7LJVE4XTnNOiJxYJ2hb8OqdkSHuT0pJh0s4IR7mA7AP-Y0FQ0Qf1oG0gZMVG-iP1JzUZw2OYjOFSKsDAF7goBM15uzanuViSllo9Mbp0Ezj5SSYdWFUV5OOzGbalMlRAPemML6ac4YMvPnwN9sSq-L4pUQkgJB2cXMX9xwHo9N4-3pWsWyPvZw4xKa9rqIJO8Z69-g6HL6ETp5HYxAcaKgSQV0eSK6p2lk2EZNeNm~Et-XXRw5-LjRkyU~tDypxutQcp1JYy4URVnc63jCct~E7kuc5LWWbl5kFSLgPxSaPw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Kootenai County","date","2025-05-31T06:29:27Z","article","Kootenai County elections staff presented commissioners with a package of FY26 spending requests on May 30 that included a capital plan to replace the county's aging voting equipment and a modest personnel restructuring.

Asa (elections staff) said growing voter rolls and more complex ballots are stretching current equipment and logistics. He summarized five elements of the requested replacement system and related items: a central count and tabulation system; ballot-on-demand printers; precinct ballot scanners; ADA-compliant ballot-marking devices; and implementation support and supplies. Asa told the board the recommended system is Hart's Verity Vanguard, a system being certified to the Voting System Guidelines version 2 (VVSG 2). \"We are at a crossroads right now,\" Asa said, describing physical limits of current machines and logistics of moving equipment to precincts.

Asa presented a capital cost plan the office described to commissioners as \"just over $2,000,000\" to purchase the new system and associated equipment. He said the elections office proposes funding the purchase from an assigned elections fund balance rather than levying property tax, and noted the county had previously set aside a capital bucket for elections planning. \"This isn't just gonna happen tomorrow,\" Asa said; staff outlined a phased rollout, expected to take multiple elections.

The elections presentation included specific, shorter-term operating requests: the county had purchased 54 additional e-poll books in a prior year and the annual maintenance and support for the enlarged fleet will increase the subscription cost for e-poll books (staff cited about $135 per poll book as the line-item rate). The office asked for $12,824 to buy rolling supply-cart systems to replace heavy plastic supply boxes used by precinct judges, and for modest increases to election supplies and temporary personnel to reflect more complex primaries and an \"associate judge\" training program for precinct judges.

On personnel, elections staff proposed reorganizing existing positions by creating an elections director and an elections manager and eliminating the current supervisor position; the change keeps total full-time headcount the same but raises total loaded personnel costs by about $11,904, the office said. Staff also said the office will eventually need a sixth permanent FTE focused on technology and supplies as elections grow, but that hire is not requested for FY26.

Context and rationale: Asa reviewed local metrics showing population and registered-voter growth since 2014, a rising share of the population registered to vote (about 56.77 percent in the latest comparison), and high ballots-cast totals in recent elections. The county also receives state election-consolidation funding established in 2011; elections staff budgeted conservatively for $411,000 in state consolidated-election revenues for FY26 and said the fund's CPI linkage has raised revenues in recent years.

Ending: Commissioners heard the presentation and asked operational questions; staff said they will return with procurement details and implementation timelines if the board approves using fund balance to begin the multi-year transition. No formal approval or vote was recorded in the meeting transcript.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","5/30/2025 Board of County Commissioners: FY26 Elected Officials Budget Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","Kootenai County elections staff presented commissioners with a package of FY26 spending requests that included a capital plan to replace aging voting equipment and a personnel reorganization.","taxTitle","Kootenai County, Idaho","taxId",3567,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6539559,"Clerk's office outlines FY26 requests: recorder revenue trends, county assistance cuts and district court staffing for new judge",2687,105000,2792000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3635046-8f9fb9ad023514155dac143e19d4c5e1&start=105&end=2792","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3635046-8f9fb9ad023514155dac143e19d4c5e1/thumbnail_105000.jpg","/articles/6539559/Kootenai-County/Idaho/Clerks-office-outlines-FY26-requests-recorder-revenue-trends-county-assistance-cuts-and-district-court-staffing-for-new-judge","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6539559-6ad5d7246007f93a816ec2f45de69ae8/orig.mp4?Expires=1775352234&Signature=C2nSFffRN~5E1QZpljcOl3w45jZbrR68po8b~9ag-1A5CMxN-56UHZfhqgIk3yVCHikxIpsf88QSO8MHzX6S3RLtgT5Yqh6CreUh943KxA7CQbzS~W8oidr6zCBMGKhZtlgaXfQRw-LgYc076T4B2iofrRVGGcxIFrQ8~GxbEZsSO1ct5lcsme~cQdLpttIrecBp-1SyUPy2Od02TkX4fkVFZYtRLsL9RYM0UqkhNSY3pidOK13YLAYeWUuGOzUTe4gpfr04L3UQTFFSTT-dEABN7HTLArLlQhGxcqDD7fgwPHH0Y6DOuR0p2AmRivvqms5Gbr9RVn5SefsNrtEqhw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kootenai County Clerk Jennifer Lock reviewed the clerk's FY26 budget with the Board of County Commissioners on May 30, describing responsibilities across multiple divisions and laying out modest staffing and budget changes for the clerk's office, recorder, county assistance and district court.

Lock described the clerk's office as a \"Swiss army knife\" for county functions, listing duties that include payroll and accounts payable, budget preparation, minutes for the board, recording titles and marriage licenses, passport processing and processing district court financial distributions. She said the office now totals roughly 104 employees across auditor, district court and other divisions and that the county has worked to grow operating reserves; \"we have moved from ... doing 2 months reserve of operating budget for fund balance, and now we've gone to 3 months reserve,\" Lock said.

County assistance: Lock said the county assistance unit now focuses primarily on burial and cremation services and reduced from two full-time positions to one in 2025. She proposed trimming the county assistance operating budget to $26,000 for FY26 based on 2024 actuals and noted the county has a qualifying process for cremation assistance and limited utility/housing payments.

Recorder: Melinda, recording manager, joined Lock for a discussion of recorder revenues and trends. Lock and staff showed multi-year recording-fee and title-recording trends that have flattened since 2020; the county temporarily froze one recording specialist position in 2025 because of lower recording volume. The recorder budget includes a one-time request for VeriDesk equipment (staff said they would check with Building and Grounds for available units to try to reduce the request). Lock said the recorder office budgeted a modest revenue uptick for FY26 but is not yet seeing a sustained return to earlier high-volume years.

District court: Callie, district court manager, briefed the board on a personnel request tied to a new resident district judge that the governor approved and that could take the bench as early as July 1. The court asked for a judicial assistant (secretarial staff) to be assigned to the new judge, a request the county described as historically required when a resident judge is seated. Callie also asked to reallocate and convert two clerk positions (moving some scanning-tech resources into civil clerk positions) to meet online-filing processing timelines and meet standards for processing new electronic-file envelopes within three business days.

Other items: Lock highlighted liquor-apportionment revenue the county receives from the state's liquor division that offsets property tax; she said the county received $462,782 in the most recent payment and budgeted $417,816 for FY26 based on state trends. Lock also asked the board to allow a small district court building/grounds project (about $6,000) to be charged against a restricted district-court fund balance rather than levied.

Ending: Commissioners asked clarifying questions about trends and timing. Several small operational adjustments were discussed but no formal board votes were recorded during the meeting.","Kootenai County Clerk Jennifer Lock reviewed the clerk's FY26 budget with the Board of County Commissioners, covering auditor, district court, recorder, county assistance and elections.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6539568,"Kootenai County auditor asks commissioners to approve $110,000 consultant to begin search for a new accounting system",740,1167000,1907000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3635046-8f9fb9ad023514155dac143e19d4c5e1&start=1167&end=1907","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3635046-8f9fb9ad023514155dac143e19d4c5e1/thumbnail_1167000.jpg","/articles/6539568/Kootenai-County/Idaho/Kootenai-County-auditor-asks-commissioners-to-approve-110000-consultant-to-begin-search-for-a-new-accounting-system","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6539568-b5e57efbf273628d24e881762ab65716/orig.mp4?Expires=1775352234&Signature=R3naYV3LMXAuviKl0NNgniWoxDalsM1oOiCN0E~MMygO6jrZdRooo-qoHGu0qZEJbhTOFpM7CM~UB~UTThKKjNlwiJfsdwTWaOflaeqOpGYcV~fA02jDoJiDET86lodS22KcDW-VYZ~C2VgkdJKfYJTS216MQoTDHyXY~WW6gVpY4IBShLWDJLWRpX52YMZUmIWmFQ-RYPcW-quuw10FHPaPLCzpB5~Ercmv5PQbLtqs2kVahuXuVAvsDOUu5qEGRmwuH1QFVRocXs~r0YFJIr-c7DX1DP-GLsSJcvEgmVL3grfAFX7f8iLRzPwaOJXcVKtCobGVW3-1idtYsl3GqQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kootenai County Auditor Randy asked the Board of County Commissioners on May 30 to add $110,000 to the FY26 budget to hire an outside software consultant to begin a search for a new countywide accounting system.

The auditor told commissioners the county's current accounting software, New World (a Tyler Technologies product), is in an \"end of sale\" phase and lacks necessary functions the county now needs. \"We are losing a lot of productivity because we have to do a lot of manual, time consuming, and cumbersome processes outside of the system,\" the auditor said. He said the county must now track leases and certain IT arrangements under a new accounting rule and that New World \"has no plans to create any type of functionality for us to track leases and software agreements, which is something that we're required to do by law.\"

The auditor said the $110,000 consultant would perform a needs assessment, develop an RFP, evaluate vendors and assist with vendor contract review. He told the board the county has discussed the timeline with Information Technology and Human Resources and expects vendor selection and contracting to take about a year, with onboarding and integration likely requiring another two to three years. \"Choosing a new financial system is a very important decision and will affect the county for the next 15 plus years,\" the auditor said.

Why it matters: county staff described manual workarounds for budgeting, payroll step calculations and annual financial reporting that the current system cannot perform, and said continuing on New World would require paying for separate software to meet accounting rules. The auditor told the board the IT department has an assigned IT fund balance (approximately $1.5 million) and that the consultant request could be funded from that balance so the county would \"not need to levy property tax for this request.\"

Details discussed at the meeting included a separate software subscription to track leases and capitalized IT agreements (the county cited an estimated $30,000-per-year lease for a new lease-tracking product) and the operational effects of continuing manual processes. IT staff confirmed they had capacity to participate in a cross-department selection process and that a consultant would bring vendor-market expertise the county lacks in-house.

County commissioners asked about conversion difficulty and timing; the auditor and IT staff advised a measured, multi-year transition to avoid rushed conversions and data errors. The auditor said he preferred \"a slow roll\" over a multi-year implementation to ensure a thorough vendor selection and migration.

Ending: The request remained at the discussion stage in the FY26 review; commissioners did not take a final budget vote during the session. The auditor recommended returning to the board with an RFP and consultant scope if the commissioners approve the one-time budget to begin the procurement process.","The county auditor told commissioners the county's current financial software (New World) is in end-of-sale status and cannot meet new lease/accounting rules, and requested $110,000 for a consultant to lead a system search; staff said the cost can be covered from IT fund balance and would not require a property tax levy.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Elections office seeks $2 million-plus from fund balance for new voting system, requests personnel reorganization and equipment

Clerk's office outlines FY26 requests: recorder revenue trends, county assistance cuts and district court staffing for new judge

Kootenai County auditor asks commissioners to approve $110,000 consultant to begin search for a new accounting system