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Polk County elections office presents $8.6 million FY26 request, highlights new voting equipment and reduced overtime
Summary
Polk County Auditor Jay Fitzdrub told the board the elections office is requesting $8.6 million for FY26, expects about $310,000 in municipal and school reimbursements, and plans a multi-year rollout for poll check-in technology after a $2.2 million equipment purchase last year.
Polk County Auditor Jay Fitzdrub told the Board of Supervisors that the elections office is seeking a requested expense of $8,600,000 for fiscal year 2026 while estimating roughly $310,000 in reimbursements from cities and schools for conducting municipal elections. "This is year actually we get reimbursed," Fitzdrub said, describing a change that will shift some costs away from the county.
Fitzdrub said the office currently budgets 48 full-time equivalent positions and that the submission is roughly $78,000 over the county—s target once a decision package is included. He noted the county spent about $2.2 million on new voting equipment last year and that the purchase will reduce recurring costs: "Since it's brand new, we don't have to pay for the maintenance," he said, pointing to an estimated maintenance savings of about $82,000.
The auditor said the county will also reduce general election overtime and staffing costs that had been higher for statewide ballots: "Our general election expense, for overtime extra help of $573,000 we won't need that for the city and school," he said, predicting less early voting, fewer satellite sites and lower overtime needs during municipal cycles. To modernize check-in, Fitzdrub laid out a rollout plan for poll pad devices and other voter check-in technology, proposing about $150,000 spread over four to five years to upgrade equipment at polling sites.
Fitzdrub also discussed operational initiatives that generated non-tax revenue: the county's voluntary p-card vendor payment program with US Bank, which he said produced roughly $60,000, and a treasury practice of timing payments to collect interest income (about $313,000).
Board members asked follow-up questions about technology compatibility and the timetable for rolling out iPads; Fitzdrub said staff expect devices to be compatible as they are phased in over four to five years. He also told the board that structural examinations of the elections office building are underway and a decision on renovation or replacement is expected in the coming months.
The board did not take a formal vote on the elections budget at the meeting; the presentation moved to questions and additional department briefings.
