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Bluff council questions San Juan County election billing, considers in-house options
Summary
Town staff warned strict chain-of-custody rules and printing requirements may make in-house administration of the 2025 election difficult, while several council members said county cost allocations (quoted at $12–15,000) look unfair and should be challenged. Council plans to meet county officials before deciding whether to accept billed costs.
Bluff town staff and council members raised concerns on May 20 about San Juan County’s cost calculation for administering the town’s 2025 election and debated whether the town could or should take parts of the work in-house.
Town Manager Erin Nelson told the council that ballot-handling rules include “quite a lot of regulations about chain of custody when it comes to ballots and the envelopes,” and cautioned that local printing vendors may not currently meet those requirements. Nelson said she was not ruling out in-house administration but recommended more information and a focused meeting with county election officials before any final decision.
Several council members argued the county’s proposed billing — described in discussion as roughly $12,000 to $15,000 — seemed unreasonable and possibly unlawful if Bluff were being singled out. One councilmember said, “I mean, it seems flat illegal, to single us out like that,” and advocated pursuing talks with county commissioners and election officials to push back on the proposed charge.
Council members discussed practical mitigation steps if the town keeps county administration: providing volunteers for poll watching, offering trained local interpreters to reduce county costs, and seeking a written interlocal agreement before accepting any billed charges. The Chair and others said they would request a meeting with county commissioners and election staff to clarify the interlocal agreement and pricing methodology.
Next steps: Staff will seek more information, share relevant election code excerpts with the council, and request a meeting with San Juan County officials. The county’s agenda and any commission action on the interlocal agreement are expected at the next county commission meeting (early June).
