Commissioners reject county clerk's request for temporary election stipend amid staffing shortfall

County Clerk presented a request Aug. 18 asking the Commissioner's Court to approve a temporary election stipend (up to $35,000, prorated) to reflect extraordinary additional duties she assumed after three top Elections Office positions became vacant. She described reconstructing records from nine unbilled elections (approximately $175,000 in estimated billings), rebuilding procedural documentation, ordering and programming ballots, and overseeing staff cross‑training ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

The clerk told the court she expects to work extended hours through November and framed the stipend as temporary compensation for the additional, higher‑responsibility duties rather than an annual pay increase. Several commissioners voiced sympathy for the workload but raised fairness concerns because other department heads and elected officials had covered extra duties in prior years without separate compensation. Some commissioners noted statutory questions about which office holds election duties when the election administrator role is vacant; county counsel summarized the legal view that duties revert to the county clerk and that challenges would require showing adverse effects on election outcomes.

A motion to increase the county clerk’s elected salary/expense allowance by $35,000 failed on a 2–3 vote. Commissioners discussed alternatives including contracting vendor programming for ballots (the clerk reported ES&S quoted $26,000 for programming and $12,000 for training) and continuing to recruit an election administrator or coordinator. The court did not approve a stipend at this meeting but discussed options for staffing and support ahead of the statutory deadlines for election preparations.