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Elections office flags tight deadlines, redistricting steps and $150k–$200k cost if Utah County ballot added in 2019
Summary
Clerk/Auditor staff told commissioners a 2019 ballot measure would trigger compressed timelines for attorney review, ballot‑title certification and redistricting; staff estimated $150k–$200k in additional administration costs for 2019 and further costs for voter notification and redistricting work ahead of 2020.
Utah County's Clerk/Auditor's Office told commissioners that putting a change to county government on the November 2019 ballot would create tight statutory and operational deadlines and nontrivial costs for the county's election administration.
Josh Daniels of the Clerk/Auditor's Office said the state code requirement known as ballot‑title certification is due about 65 days before Election Day; for a November election that places final language roughly around Sept. 1, which shortens further if the statutory reference date falls on a weekend. Daniels said the county also faces a separate 45‑day attorney review window and other timing constraints that together require rapid drafting of an optional plan and a resolution by the commission if 2019 is the target.
Daniels explained redistricting implications for a newly elected council: council districts must meet population parameters and any district lines that split other elected‑official boundaries will require precinct realignment. That process is not only drawing a map — it requires entering and validating precinct boundaries in the county's VISTA voter system — and Daniels said precinct and district work needs to be finalized by early December (roughly 90 days before a primary) so candidates and voters have clarity for filing and ballots.
On costs, Daniels estimated additional election administration spending of roughly $150,000–$200,000 for 2019 if the county places a proposition on that year's municipal ballot. He described further potential costs in 2020 tied to redistricting and voter outreach, including an estimated $75,000 for universal voter information mailings to inform households of new districts and roughly $5,000 in temporary staffing to support the redistricting workload. "If turnout is increased, then the number of voters who return their ballots is increased," Daniels said, noting that mailing return postage and added processing could raise total costs.
County counsel and staff debated whether the optional plan must include fully developed district maps before the commission adopts a resolution or whether the plan can state the number and type of seats and allow a later mapping process; counsel referenced multiple code sections (discussed at the meeting as '404', '504' and '203') that create cross‑references and limit a legislative body's later authority to change size or makeup of districts. The county attorney said his office would need to provide a formal legal opinion before the commission finalizes any timeline.
Daniels said the Clerk/Auditor's Office stands ready to administer either a 2019 ballot proposition or a 2020 implementation, but asked commissioners to be explicit about desired timelines so the office can reallocate resources, request additional funds if necessary and plan for precinct changes and voter notification. "The sooner the better so that we can make sure ballots are sent out with an appropriate amount of time for voters to be able to cast their ballot," he said.
Next steps: commissioners will consider the advisory committee's recommendation alongside the attorney's legal guidance and the clerk/auditor's operational analysis to decide whether to prepare an optional plan and resolution for a 2019 ballot or to delay and use 2020/2021 statutory windows to complete districting and redistricting work.
