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Charlotte County electoral board discusses budget needs, plans poll-book purchase
Summary
At a Jan. 28 meeting, the Charlotte County Electoral Board and county staff reviewed the Registrar's proposed budget, emphasizing a 29-hour cap for part-time assistants, a $15,275 allocation to buy electronic poll books this year, and projected voting-machine replacements in about five years at roughly $8,500 each.
The Charlotte County Electoral Board met Jan. 28, 2021, with County Administrator Dan Witt and Financial Director Norma Tuck to review the Registrar's proposed budget ahead of its submission to the Board of Supervisors. Interim Registrar Eric Goode and board officers Lawrence Clark (chairman) and Glenwood Foster (secretary) were present.
County Administrator Dan Witt and Financial Director Norma Tuck reviewed the current budget and offered a set of recommendations the electoral office should include in its submission. They asked the Registrar to calculate projected salaries and wages for assistant staff and to incorporate forthcoming major expenses into a five-year plan.
Tuck and Witt emphasized a staffing constraint: part-time assistants cannot work more than 29 hours per week. The staff described this as a critical factor for scheduling and payroll calculations that should be reflected in the upcoming budget.
On equipment needs, county staff proposed allocating $15,275 in this year's budget to purchase one electronic poll book for each precinct, with a plan to buy a second device per precinct from next year's budget. The recommendation was presented as a near-term procurement the Board of Supervisors could fund when considering the Registrar's request.
Goode, the interim registrar, told the county administrator the office will likely need to replace voting machines in about five years; he estimated current prices at about $8,500 per machine. The board and staff noted that anticipating that capital cost in a multi-year plan would help avoid funding gaps.
The staff also reminded attendees that the county fiscal year runs July 1 through June 30, which frames when purchases and staffing changes should be scheduled.
Next steps: the Electoral Board and Registrar will finalize the budget figures, including the wage calculations, the $15,275 poll-book allocation, and the five-year equipment plan, and submit the package to the Board of Supervisors for approval.
