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Bluff officials say San Juan County election costs unclear; council seeks meeting with county commissioners
Summary
Town staff and council members raised concerns that San Juan County’s proposed election cost allocation could require Bluff to pay $12,000–$15,000; the council said an interlocal agreement has not been signed and requested meetings with county officials to resolve the calculation and responsibilities.
Bluff elected officials told the Town Council on May 20 that they remain in discussions with San Juan County over how the county is calculating election costs and whether Bluff will be required to pay for county-run election services.
Town Manager Erin Nelson said the town has received another round of figures from the county and that an interlocal agreement had not yet been signed. Nelson and another staff member said San Juan County planned to put the interlocal agreement before the county commission at its June 3 meeting.
Erin Nelson and staff said they had requested a meeting with county elections officials and the county commission to “draw a hard line” on responsibilities. Council members expressed concern about paying what they described as disproportionate costs; one council member reported that the county’s current invoice estimate for Bluff could be in the $12,000–$15,000 range, an amount some members said is not reasonable given the town’s limited resources.
Town staff explained there are substantial chain-of-custody and ballot-handling regulations that make in-house printing and administration of ballots difficult for a small municipality without established secure systems. Staff said local volunteers might be able to provide pollwatching, and that some costs could be reduced by using volunteers for certain roles, but that the printing and secure custody requirements may effectively prevent the town from conducting the work entirely in-house this year.
Council members instructed staff to continue discussions with county election officials and to bring the issue to county commissioners, and they said they will pursue options to reduce costs. The council did not adopt a formal resolution at the May 20 meeting; staff said they will schedule follow-up meetings and communicate with the commission.
