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Town clerk requests third tabulator and updates on ballot costs and credit-card terminals
Summary
Town clerk reviewed heightened ballot printing costs after switching vendors, requested a third voting tabulator (about $6,000) and discussed implementing in‑person credit/debit payment terminals; board agreed to schedule follow-up and consider shared cost arrangements with the school.
Town Clerk Heather presented the town clerk office budget and walked the board through software and elections-line items, describing higher-than-expected ballot printing costs this year after contracting with new vendors and noting the town’s first-year experience with VotingWorks/Democracy Live.
Heather asked the board to budget for a third Vx scan tabulator (approx. $6,000) to improve ballot handling and speed; she noted the machine’s expected processing time would decrease with the upgrade and that the state is rolling out accessible booths for special elections. She also discussed recurring annual fees for software (GWorks) and other operating supplies.
On payments, Heather said she is pursuing an over-the-counter terminal to accept credit cards in person and noted InterWare charges a small flat per-transaction fee today; she described options for installing terminals and discussed tradeoffs such as maintenance and cash‑refill needs for an ATM. The clerk and board discussed whether the school district should share machine costs; historically the school paid the annual fee for one machine designated for school ballots. The clerk recommended a placeholder election budget number ($6,000) subject to a follow-up meeting with the moderator, elections staff and the board to refine election-worker stipends and equipment needs.
The board asked the clerk to schedule a meeting with the moderator and interested parties and to return with a clearer breakout of election payroll, machine-sharing options and ballot-cost projections.
