- April 25, 2024
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The county questioned Supervisor of Elections Kim Weeks’ proposal for $43,000 to be added to her budget.
From the 2010 to 2011 fiscal year, Supervisor of Elections Kim Weeks returned $68,000 of unused funds back to the county after expenses. This fiscal year, because two elections are scheduled, Weeks projected a need for an extra $43,268, on top of the unused $68,000 from last year.
But the county commissioners were skeptical.
“I know that the supervisor’s office is different … in how they’re funded and how their expenses work,” Commissioner Barbara Revels said. “But naturally, (with) the millions of dollars we have to find this year to tow the line on expenses, it’s really hard to start off the bat with an increase in (one) particular budget.”
Weeks responded that her office budgets as economically as possible: “We strive to return money every year,” she said.
Statue dictates, Weeks said, that polling staff be trained before every election, and so, between 2011 and 2012, workers must be trained twice. The number of polling locations, based on precinct, can only be reduced so much, as well, she said. Flagler may be required by the state to print bilingual ballots. And districting remains an issue, since re-districted voters would need to be mailed new voter registration cards.
“You can’t keep level when your expenses are not the same,” Weeks said. “I can’t control the fact that we have two elections … (Circumstances) are what they are.”
But the county shouldn’t allocate funds based on what-ifs, said Commissioner Milissa Holland. Monies can be distributed after the fact, she said, should special cases arise.
Revels asked Weeks if she ever awarded bonuses or salary increases to her employees, which is against the law. Weeks said no.
Commissioner Nate McLaughlin said that he was happy to hear that, since he had been told by numerous sources that Weeks had dispensed $2,500 in bonuses to her workers last year instead of returning the money to the county, budgeting the cost as payroll.
“I’ve received a number of phone calls,” he said.
On top of a handful of smaller additions, Weeks projected an additional $7,750 needed for poll training, an additional $12,700 for elections ballots and an additional $32,988 for salary.
The commissioners will reconvene June 27. They asked to see more specific information on where the $68,000 surplus came from last year.
SHERIFF'S BUDGET DROPS TO $280,000
At a June 13 budget workshop, Sheriff Don Fleming projected a $279,186 budget decrease, due to statewide changes to government workers’ retirement rates. In light of the changes, the county could see a per-worker cost reduction of up to 5%. The rest of the sheriff’s budget remained more or less consistent with last year’s.
Before talking numbers, Flemming addressed the commissioners.
“For the last four years, this economic downturn has really affected the men and women in the Sherrif’s Department greatly,” he said. “I would hope that in the coming year or two we would come back … (and) think about giving them a raise.”
Despite national trends that show crime rising in down economies, the Sheriff’s Office reported a 5% Flagler County crime reduction in 2010.
“It’s a tribute to you, and certainly your officers, (that you’ve) done more with less,” County Commissioner Chair Alan Peterson told the sheriff. “We don’t see what you have prevented.”
Fleming said that his department has also donated about $26,000 to youth activity and crime-prevention organizations, such as the Police Athletic League, school programs and Crime Stoppers, from siezed drug money.
