Cochise County reviews recorder—s budget and questions $1 million in grant-funded ballot paper in Phoenix

The Cochise County Board of Supervisors met in a work session to review the county recorder—s office budget and election preparations. County staff told supervisors they expect to cover upcoming election costs but flagged an old grant-funded printing line and a stockpile of ballot paper stored in Phoenix that may need legal review before reuse.

Deputy County Recorder Heather said the recorder—s office did not request additional general funding for the next fiscal year. "We didn—t request, you know, any additional funding. It's pretty straightforward. We did increase our postage and our printing for the election side of things. I think we're gonna be okay covering any election that's coming your way next fiscal year," Heather said.

Nut graf: The exchange matters because the county must ensure it has usable materials and legally allowable spending for elections. Stacy, a county staff member, pointed out that a $1 million state revenue and matching expense line for printing on the recorder—s budget is an old grant that has been unintentionally carried forward and needs to be removed or reconciled. The county attorney will determine whether the paper held by the vendor in Phoenix can be used, sold, or otherwise disposed of and whether proceeds must be returned to the grant authority.

Heather and Recorder Billy Cloud told supervisors the office has budgeted for anticipated election activity and has some flexibility. Heather said the department increased postage and printing lines to cover mailing and ballot production and that the office has funds to cover an upcoming special election and the primary cycle beginning in July. She also said the office recently hired a full-time voter registration position to speed signature verification and other registration tasks.

Supervisors asked about equipment and staffing. Heather said no additional staff are expected this coming fiscal year and that the recorder—s office can request supplemental funding if needed. The department also discussed signature-verification computers and offered to run a mock election demonstration to show workflow for returned ballots and verification steps.

Stacy raised the budget accounting issue on page 8 of the packet: "there's a million dollars in state revenue and in expenses for printing on the back. That is an old grant that has been finished and done. The budget has just rolled over for several years on accident. I need to zero that out," she said. Meeting audio indicates the county attorney will follow up on whether the paper can be used; if it cannot, staff said the county would explore disposal or sale and recapture of funds for the grant authority.

Supervisors and staff also discussed recent statewide mailings and voter list maintenance. Supervisor Crosby commented on public reaction to a statewide notice and on social media claims, and staff explained the outreach was statewide and tied to routine list maintenance. The recorder—s office said voter-roll maintenance is done on a four-year cycle tied to the presidential election; staff said the most recent scrub reduced the inactive voter count to about 5,900 from roughly 11,000.

The work session is an informational meeting and does not include public comment; staff said the next step is for the county attorney to advise on the Phoenix-held paper and for managers to adjust the budget document to remove the expired grant line. The board set its next internal meeting to review the formal agenda for the upcoming Tuesday meeting.

Ending: Supervisors adjourned after wrapping up the recorder—s budget review and scheduling follow-up on the grant-funded printing line and the legal status of the stored paper.