Title
Budget Amendment - FY25 Elections
Action
ACTION:
Amend the FY 2024 - 2025 Operating Budget Ordinance to appropriate $1,319,161 from Available General Fund Balance, and $879,441 in City Revenue to the Elections department within the General Fund (0001).
Staff Contact: Michael Dickerson, Director of Elections
Adrian Cox, Budget Director
Presentation: No
BACKGROUND/JUSTIFICATION:
The cost to conduct the 2020 presidential election was $2.2 million. The budget for the 2024 presidential election was estimated to be $2.8 million. The election was conducted in a highly effective manor, with a record number of votes and early voting turnout that outpaced previous elections. However, several factors resulted in additional cost that were unknown during the FY2025 budget process. These include:
· The addition of 120 early voting workers at the 33 Early Voting Sites (over 21,600-man hours).
· Pay increases for Election Day staff to assist in recruiting.
· Recruiting an outside professional data-entry temporary employment agency to address the data-entry backlog of over 80,000 applications held in the Voter Registration Database received in October.
· Security concerns led to hiring security companies for coverage at our Early Voting sites and Election Day sites and our Office.
· Additional temp staff to accommodate FOIA requests and two Election Protest Hearings.
· Additional temp staff to service petition requests by candidates.
· The North Carolina Supreme Court ruling and Order to remove RFK, Jr from the ballot, required:
o the additional cost of re-coding and reprinting ballots,
o re-programming and re-testing all of voting equipment,
o hiring additional temp staff to meet the new State Board deadline to complete all the required processes and preparation for mailing by the 45-day Federal deadline.
o major impact on postage, printing costs, including the cost to print new envelopes.
o Lease 1st floor space ...
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