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Deleted from the Consent Agenda tonight is the new one-year Contract submitted by the Supervisor of Elections to the City of Lake Worth. The cost of special elections or run-off elections has increased and will be $9,352 each time the City holds an election. There is no explanation as to why this was pulled from the agenda. Perhaps the city manager is using her powers to approve the Contract without it going to the Commission by using the under $15,000 rule?
Our election will be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Any run-off election would be two weeks later.
It used to be that being the only municipality in Palm Beach County with November elections, we would have to bear all the costs to have a special election (run-off election, as an example). Costs are usually shared by the municipalities having elections.
Because we work within specific guidelines of the SOE and also provide the voting locations, we do not have to pay for equipment, supplies, voting machines, tables, etc.
Perhaps in spite of the fact this has been pulled, the Commission might give us an explanation tonight. It could very easily, and by Ordinance I have been told, change the election from November to March. Certain commissioners feel there is some advantage to having it in November in spite of the fact that our elections and issues get lost at the end of a long ballot and according to the Supervisor of Elections, Susan Bucher, it will cost us more.
I will be proposing later this fall that we move our elections back to March to save the City money. At the very least let's alternate election cycles. When there is a general election 2012 we vote in November, in an off year we have our city wide elections in March to save money.
ReplyDeleteOr lets have three year terms so that we dodnt have this madness every year, year after year.
Oh course this would go into effect after im elected in Novembestay tuned
Tom, The way I understand it and the way it has been in the past, being the only city having elections in November we would bear the entire cost of any run-off election. The General elections already have had its primaries before November. Getting back to March, we are then having our elections at the same time as 99.99% of all the cities in PB County. Get it back to March...save money...no more heat...snow birds still here...better for fund-raising, etc.
ReplyDeleteYour right Lynn, March is much better for everyone....
ReplyDeleteTom Ramiccio