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County clerk says state reimbursed 2024 presidential preference primary; clerk budget rises amid ballot and software cost increases
Summary
Jamie, the county clerk, told the County Commission the state-reimbursed costs for the 2024 presidential preference primary were already received; she said ongoing ballot, printing and software license costs helped drive a roughly 19% jump in the clerk’s proposed budget.
Jamie, the county clerk, told the County Commission during a budget hearing that the county received state reimbursement for the 2024 presidential preference primary a few weeks earlier and that, for 2025, no additional reimbursement is currently anticipated.
Jamie said recent increases in ballot printing and software licenses are major drivers of the clerk's budget growth. She noted ballots cost roughly $0.30 each and that the office orders on the order of a couple hundred thousand ballots annually. Jamie said rising vendor license and equipment costs — which she and IT staff also see elsewhere in the county — contribute to year-over-year increases.
One commissioner pointed out the clerk’s budget showed a roughly 19% increase from the previous year and asked whether the county had considered purchasing the clerk’s building instead of renting. Jamie said she did not believe purchasing the building was an option and that the contract structure and prior practice had not raised that possibility.
Commissioners and staff discussed how pay adjustments are recorded: the county is separating market and merit adjustments into two lines (market and merit) in departmental budgets this year, with a larger, countywide market-merit pool in administration tied to a compensation study (the McGrath study) still in progress.
No formal action or vote was taken; commissioners asked for clarifications and said they would review supporting materials as part of the budget process.
