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Davis County clerk projects modest budget rise, proposes small fee increases for ceremonies and passport photos
Summary
County Clerk Brian McKenzie told the Budget Committee the Clerk’s Office expects a small net budget increase driven by personnel and election staffing, and proposed modest fee changes — $10 for an in‑office marriage ceremony, $5 on the county marriage‑license portion and $15 passport photos — offset by operational savings and state reimbursements.
Davis County Clerk Brian McKenzie presented the Clerk’s Office 2026 budget outlook to the county Budget Committee, saying personnel costs and election‑cycle staffing are the biggest upward pressures but that operational savings and state reimbursements reduce the net impact.
McKenzie described a personnel projection that produced an 11.49% increase in the office’s payroll line — driven by compensation adjustments, higher insurance costs and anticipated temporary election worker expenses — and said the office’s total expense baseline is about $2.9 million. He told the committee his office identified $413,000 in standard revenues (excluding variable election revenue) and expects a roughly 1.75% net increase after revenues and operations reductions.
To help offset costs, McKenzie proposed modest fee changes the county can set: a $10 fee for in‑office marriage ceremonies (the office performs roughly 30 per month), a $5 increase to the county portion of marriage licenses, and raising passport‑photo charges from $10 to $15. “Passport photo would be $15 total,” McKenzie said when describing the proposal. He noted passport application fees themselves are set by the U.S. Department of State and are not under county control.
McKenzie also highlighted several cost‑saving and revenue offsets: an RFP reduced per‑ballot costs from $0.79 to $0.63, saving an estimated $30,000–$40,000 per election (about $80,000 annually), and recent state reimbursements — including roughly $62,250 for election equipment upgrades and about $3,500 toward building security improvements — contributed to unanticipated revenue of $113,693.91 in 2025.
During committee discussion, members questioned whether the proposed $10 marriage‑ceremony fee covered staff time; McKenzie responded that many in‑office ceremonies are brief, sometimes lasting about five minutes, and that more formal ceremonies previously held in the historic courthouse had higher fees when the county provided a room and fuller service. He said the office will continue to offer options for couples who want more elaborate or off‑site ceremonies.
No formal vote on the budget or fee changes was recorded in the transcript. McKenzie said if contract work (such as petition processing for the state) proceeds, the office would return later with a budget change to show corresponding revenue offsets.
