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Beaufort County elections director seeks reclassification; cites statute and state recommendation
Summary
The county’s director of elections asked commissioners to reclassify the position — citing North Carolina statute 163‑35 and a recommendation from State Director Karen Brinson Bell — saying the job has expanded and carries high overtime; the board acknowledged the state’s recommendation and deferred funding decisions to the county budget process.
Kelly, the county’s director of elections, asked the Board of Commissioners to reclassify the director of elections position and place it in the same classification as other positions with comparable responsibilities, such as register of deeds or tax assessor. Kelly said the request came after deliberations with the County Board of Elections and a recommendation letter from State Director Karen Brinson Bell.
Kelly told commissioners the position now requires substantially more work than in earlier years and carries significant overtime demands: 573 overtime hours in 2020 (COVID year), 419 hours in 2022 and 401 hours in 2024. The director said the reclassification request is intended to help attract and retain qualified candidates when the current director retires.
Kelly said the county board of elections recommended reclassification to be commensurate with register of deeds, arguing the volume of records and responsibilities are comparable. The state director’s letter suggested placing the position in that classification or similar pay grade.
Commissioners asked for clarification about the salary range; staff said the state recommendation did not specify an exact range but recommended parity with comparable offices. The item will be considered in the expansion‑budget process; no vote or salary change was made at the workshop.
