County clerk seeks $33,000 for elections staffing as redistricting and new voting system raise costs
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Summary
Bourbon County Clerk described expanded election workload tied to a new voting system and redistricting, asked for a dedicated elections staffer and $10,000 for clerk office raises, and warned ongoing system maintenance and printing costs have increased.
Susan (county clerk) told commissioners that election administration and statutory clerk duties have grown and that the clerk’s office needs additional staffing and modest increases to operating funds to manage new workload created by a 2022 voting‑system purchase and recent redistricting.
Susan said the county clerk is the official election authority under Kansas law and described multiple added costs. The county purchased a new election system in 2022; she said that decision increased annual maintenance costs from roughly $10,000 to about $20,000 and that vendor on‑site support has been required for multiple recent election runs. Redistricting forced the clerk’s office to create many new precincts and new ballot styles; Susan said the change required the office to touch every voter record to set precincts and ballot styles and that new ballot styles increase printing costs.
To address the workload, Susan requested an additional staff member dedicated largely to elections and asked commissioners to approve a total incremental budget of $33,000: roughly $23,000 added to the election fund (to cover recurring election costs) and $10,000 for the county clerk’s general office to support pay adjustments for existing staff. She told commissioners the clerk’s office currently has three staff members and is “down to the bare bones.”
Susan outlined statutory responsibilities the clerk must perform, including preparing the tax roll abstracts, certifying levies, administering payroll and benefits, managing fixed‑asset inventories, acting as the public records/Freedom of Information officer, running elections, and interacting with the state on redistricting and voter registration. She said daily voter‑registration checks and obituary monitoring, required by statute and election rules, add to staffing needs.
Susan also raised employee benefit costs as a budget pressure. She said a single‑person health plan currently costs roughly $910 per month (about $11,000 annually), noting insurance and liability premiums are expected to rise and will affect personnel costs and the county’s ability to give raises.
Commissioners asked for more detailed revenue and mill‑rate projections; Susan and staff said they will compile budget totals and preliminary revenue estimates and return with those figures. No formal vote was taken at the workshop.
