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Bluff council reviews San Juan County election MOU and weighs cost of running its own election
Summary
The council reviewed a draft interlocal MOU from San Juan County that includes interpretation services and discussed whether Bluff should run its own election; Mayor Ann K. Leppanen said staff estimates running an independent election could cost more than $8,000 and that the town would need to be ready by Sept. 12 to print ballots.
During the June 24 work session, the Bluff Town Council reviewed a draft Memorandum of Understanding from San Juan County covering election administration and discussed operational details and costs of running a town election.
Mayor Ann K. Leppanen noted the draft MOU includes interpretation services and said councilors should raise several points with San Juan County elections contact Vint DeGraw, including whether ballots could be picked up weekly rather than only at the end of the election and why Bluff is being charged for county employees. Leppanen said the town could choose to run its own election but that doing so would require being ready by Sept. 12 — the last day ballots can be sent to the printer — and that preliminary estimates indicated Bluff would likely spend more than $8,000 to meet the requirements.
Council members noted the San Juan County primary in Blanding is scheduled for Aug. 12 and expressed concern about the short timetable and resource needs if Bluff attempted to administer its own election for upcoming contests. No final decision was made at the session; staff will raise council questions with county staff and report back.
