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Council adds $500,000 for voter education but pins details pending clerk capacity and staffing plan
Summary
Council Member Mary Waters proposed $500,000 for voter education; members approved the figure in concept but pinned the item so the City Clerk’s office can confirm staffing, contractor use, language access and implementation plans.
Council Member Mary Waters moved a $500,000 allocation for voter education during the budget worksession and the council agreed to pin the item for follow-up so the City Clerk’s office can specify how funds would be used and whether the office will hire staff or contractors.
“However you do it, FTEs or contractors, we just know that it needs to be done,” Waters said on the record. Council members raised questions about whether the clerk’s office had asked for the funding, whether it had capacity to implement a voter-education program, and whether outreach would include multilingual materials. Miss Doudemeyer (transcript identifies staff as “Miss Doudemeyer”) said administration would reach out to the clerk’s office to clarify how the money would be used and return with a recommended staffing/contract approach.
Pro Tem Tate and other members suggested the council ask for a program design that specifies outreach channels (in-person, schools, social media) and a timeline. The worksession concluded by pinning the item to allow the clerk’s office to provide details to the council before the closing resolution vote.
