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Lincoln County elections office braces for postage, software maintenance and wage pressures
Summary
The elections office told commissioners it omitted final salary figures from its draft budget because pay rates are pending, and highlighted significant upcoming postage increases, a near-$6,950 vendor maintenance charge and GIS costs tied to 2030 census boundary work.
The elections official told Lincoln County commissioners on May 11 that the office has not included salaries, wages or employer contributions in its draft budget because the final compensation numbers are not yet available and will be set after a compensation board meeting scheduled for May 28.
The official said a major near-term pressure is postage: postal rates are expected to rise to about $0.89–$0.90 per item in July, and initial estimates put aggregate postage needs near $29,000. The office proposed buying a small in‑house mailing unit that could allow nonprofit bulk rates and save roughly $3,000 annually. "If I get an inunit into our office... that'll save us about three grand a year because we can bulk it at one time and get our nonprofit rate," the elections official said.
The budget also reflects a substantial vendor maintenance cost for election equipment. The presenter described a software/maintenance update from ES&S (Election Systems & Software) and reported a maintenance charge of about $6,949.99, with the vendor forecasting the cost around December. "There is a massive maintenance coming that is $6,949.99," the elections official said.
Other items included small increases to supplies and publications—supplies rose about $200 and publication/legal-ad costs increased by roughly $300; full‑page election ads run about $1,700 per insertion. The office said printing costs otherwise remain steady. It also noted additional professional services costs for GIS work to redraw county boundaries ahead of the 2030 census.
Commissioners questioned whether existing in‑house mailing equipment could be used for bulk postage discounts; the elections official said the device on-site processes mail piece-by-piece and cannot hold election mail for bulk processing, so it would not produce the needed discount. A commissioner asked about the timing of the ES&S maintenance charge; the elections official said the vendor is forecasting the work in December.
On payroll, the presenter said an expected minimum-wage increase in July—estimated between $11.10 and $11.15 per hour—will push up the pay for lower‑paid election judges and related temporary staff. The office estimated a modest additional payroll cost tied to federal-election staffing.
The presenter said once salary and employer‑contribution figures are finalized, staff will update the county’s Black Mountain budget system. The county recessed briefly and then moved on to other agenda items.
What happens next: the compensation board meeting on May 28 should produce the salary/contribution figures the elections office needs to finalize its budget submission, and the office plans to update the Black Mountain system after those figures are available.
