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Elections office budget rises as postage, vendor maintenance and census work drive increases
Summary
Lincoln County elections staff warned May 11 that a planned July postage-rate jump, a large vendor maintenance charge and 2030-census GIS work are the main drivers of its FY2026 departmental budget changes; salaries and employer contributions remain pending until a compensation board meeting May 28.
Elections staff told county budget reviewers on May 11 that several predictable but substantial cost drivers — higher postage, a vendor maintenance update and required census boundary work — are the primary reasons for increases in the departments proposed budget. The session opened at 10:00 a.m., and the elections presenter led a detailed line-item review.
The presenter said postage is expected to rise to about $0.89to0.90 in July and that the office is budgeting for more mailings because the county must plan for multiple elections, including school and general contests. "Postage is going up from our current rate to uh 89 to 90 cents of July," the presenter said, adding she could save "about $3,000" a year if the office installed a small in-unit postage machine that would allow nonprofit bulk rates.
The presenter noted a significant planned maintenance or software update from the vendor identified in the transcript as "ESNS election systems and software," which will increase costs on a line labeled for equipment/technology maintenance; the dollar amount was not clearly recorded in the transcript. She said the vendor expects the work around December.
Staff also flagged work tied to the 2030 census: the county will use GIS services to update boundaries, and presenter-estimated professional-services costs rose slightly to cover those updates. Other relatively small changes included a modest supplies increase, an unchanged $700 DEX imaging line and a $300 increase in publication costs tied to required newspaper notices.
Elections staff said training and travel remain flat at $200. They also described a pending minimum-wage increase — estimated between $11.10 and $11.15 in the presenters figures — that will require raising pay for lower-paid election workers and affected the salary projections pending the compensation-board outcome.
The presenter asked for questions and clarified that salary and employer-contribution rows will be updated once compensation figures are finalized after the compensation-board meeting set for May 28. The meeting recessed at 10:15 to take up the next department.
Why it matters: Postage and mandated maintenance can materially increase the cost of running elections in a small county with multiple election events each year; staff signaled the estimates are conservative until the compensation-board determines salaries and employer-contribution rates.
What's next: County staff will populate salary and benefits lines after the May 28 compensation-board meeting; the vendor maintenance timing was forecast for December in the presenters remarks.
