Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Elections Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County clerk warns of larger, costlier 2026 ballots; requests 5% COLA and clarifies payroll formula errors
Summary
County Clerk/Recorder reviewed a larger 2026 election with higher contract and temporary staffing costs, asked for a 5% cost-of-living adjustment for her staff, and walked commissioners through formula errors on the payroll (PR) tab that caused duplicated salaries.
County Clerk/Recorder (speaker 14) told the board she expects a historically long and complex 2026 ballot that will raise election staffing and contract costs. She said the county "now have to contract ES and S to do that" and noted that the loss of in‑house ballot design capacity increased annual contract labor by about $40,000. The clerk also requested a 5% cost‑of‑living adjustment for clerk staff: "I'm requesting a 5% cola for all of my staff."
Staff and commissioners spent time on a spreadsheet formula error that duplicated a payroll line (I19 added into a bracketed range), which inflated salaries on the PR tab. Finance/IT staff demonstrated how to correct the formula so the payroll totals reflect the clerk's intent. Commissioners asked for corrected PR/tab pages and a clarified contract estimate for ES&S before final decisions on benefits and salaries.
