Monroe County election board forwards 2026 election budget to county council after debate over staffing and vendor costs

The Monroe County Election Board voted 2–1 to forward the clerk’s proposed election budget for 2026 to the county council after a detailed session that ranged from part‑time staff wages to projected payments to voting‑machine vendors.

Clerk staff presented historical staffing and cost figures and said the election operation budget is a reverting fund: unspent dollars return to the election fund for future cycles. The clerk told the board the office typically budgets higher to avoid emergency requests during an active election period.

Board members and members of the public questioned specific line items. The packet included a historical comparison showing the county paid roughly $56,450 in personnel costs for a 2022 municipal election (including meals and training); the clerk said that amount would roughly double when planning for both primary and general election years. The proposed budget also lists two part‑time positions budgeted at about $35,000 each, which prompted questions about assumed hours and hourly rates; staff said part‑time positions are budgeted up to 28 hours weekly on average but can vary during the election cycle.

Vendors and contracts drew attention. The packet lists a line of $350,000 for voting‑machine‑related costs; staff explained that an existing vendor contract (referred to at the meeting as “Bob’s contract”) has a multi‑year structure and that not‑to‑exceed figures change year to year. Staff said a portion of that contract is recorded across fiscal years and that year‑end bills are expected; they told the board the vendor and his team are essential to running elections and that vendor costs and software licenses have risen since the pandemic.

Ballot printing also drew scrutiny. The proposed budget includes $100,000 for ballots; staff said part of the reason for the larger line‑item budget is timing — some 2024 printing invoices arrived in 2025 — and that printing estimates often arrive in January when vendors supply detailed pricing. Board members asked that the clerk seek realistic line‑item reductions where possible, but the clerk warned that running short on funds mid‑cycle would require returning to the council during an already busy election period.

Members of the public who spoke during the meeting urged fiscal caution and also urged adequate pay for poll workers. Several poll workers and former election‑center staff described the operational needs on election day and early voting — noting that Election Central had as many as 80 staff on an election morning for ballot processing — and said identifiable staff shirts and canvassing help operations run smoothly. The clerk said staff had negotiated discounts for shirts and would accept a modest reduction there if the board preferred.

The board voted to forward the budget as submitted. A board member made the motion to accept and forward the budget; a second carried the motion and the vote passed 2–1. The clerk said she will present budget details to county council and monitor year‑end bills and vendor invoices that may affect fiscal-year timing.