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Town Clerk asks Select Board to raise election budget, cites rising postage and ballot costs
Summary
Town Clerk Lucy asked the Select Board to increase the election expense line to $9,500, citing rising postage, the per-ballot cost for multi-piece mailings and the need to cover unplanned special town meetings. She also proposed buying tablet-based poll pads and more signage to improve election operations.
Town Clerk Lucy told the Select Board during its Feb. 25 budget review that election-related costs have increased and asked that the election expense line be raised to $9,500 to cover upcoming local, primary and general elections and the occasional special town meeting. "My budget hasn't changed much. It's just getting more expensive," she said, noting the town ran multiple elections in 2024 and expects more in 2027–2028.
Lucy outlined the specific cost drivers: regular mail postage at about $0.74 per envelope and ballots that, because they include a ballot, inner envelope and return envelope, run about $1.02 each. She said confirmation‑card mailings cost roughly $1,000 to print and that the office must also buy special paper and sleeves for permanent vital‑records certifications.
The clerk said FY25 election‑registration expenses were about $7,950 and asked the board to approve the higher FY26 request to reflect price increases and unbudgeted special town meetings. She said the town files for state reimbursement and earlier this cycle had received a $7,400 reimbursement for May and June elections that was credited back into the general fund.
Lucy also described a vendor quote for tablet-based poll pads intended to replace paper checklists and speed check‑in: the quote covered three devices, cases and setup and was presented at roughly $5,300. She characterized the poll pads as a time‑saver that also prints voter receipts and helps with language and duplicate‑name issues, but said the pads were not currently in the baseline budget and are a "wish list" item.
Board members asked operational questions about how vote‑by‑mail opt‑ins are processed (the clerk said voters must submit an application each year) and about staffing and wages for election workers; Lucy said election wages last year were about $6,700 and that the town reports workers and expenses to the state to obtain partial reimbursement.
The clerk also requested additional election signage and modest storage and records organization expenses to manage permanent records. She invited the board to schedule a demonstration of poll pads if the board wants more detail.
The Select Board did not take a formal vote on the request at the Feb. 25 meeting; the items will be considered as the budget and warrant materials are finalized ahead of town meeting.
