Clerk recommends postage reductions, online notices to save operating funds; elections costs discussed

During the June 30 special meeting the County Clerk proposed several operational savings tied to postage, advertising and mailing processes that could be realized before cutting personnel or recurring operating lines.

The clerk recommended reducing the countys postage budget to about $4,000 for routine mailings by consolidating printed notices and by using state-level mail services for election-related mailings where legally allowable. She noted some mailings (absentee ballots and certain election materials) must remain under clerk control and cannot be outsourced; however, other routine mailings such as assessment notices and certain administrative materials may be routed through a centralized vendor to reduce staff time and postage per piece.

The clerk also said some one-time IT and payment-portal investments would reduce recurring postage and cashier time in future years (examples discussed included online payment convenience fees that can be passed to users). The meeting note-taker recorded an example estimating a $900 annual savings in one office by deferring a copier replacement and using the current machine for another year, reducing the per-page and toner line in the clerks budget.

No final policy changes on election processes were approved in the meeting. Commissioners and the clerk agreed to pursue vendor quotes for consolidated mailing and to check requirements about absentee-ballot custody before changing any process that would affect chain-of-custody or legal compliance for elections.