Election Commissioner Steve Crump speaks.CLEVELAND, Tenn. – A Bradley County Election Commission member questioned Monday how money is spent from some line items in the commission’s current budget.
Milan Blake said the budget line item for part-time salaries was depleted four months into the current fiscal year that began July 1, 2010. By November 2010, Blake said, the $11,200 line item had been depleted. A budget amendment took money from the full-time salary line, or deputy election officials, to cover the remainder of the total $17,000 paid for part-time work.
“We went only four months into this budget, and we are already out of money in that line item,” Blake said.
The part-time personnel serve two purposes, Election Director Fran Green said.
“In essence they are all deputies. If they register someone to vote, they are a deputy,” she said.
She suggested the question could be cleared by having only the full-time deputy line item in the budget.
Election Commissioner Steve Crump cautioned that such a move inadvertently may place part-time workers in line for county benefits paid for full-time workers.
Another Blake question concerned hiring a 17-year-old last year as an election worker.
Election Commission Chairwoman Theba Hamilton read state law that says 17-year-olds can register even though they cannot vote until they are 18. So the teen, she said, could be an election worker.
Commissioner Dana Burgner, a Democrat, said “I don’t believe you can work with voters and handle ballots if you are not a registered voter yourself.”
Green said the teen did filing work only and did not work directly with voters and ballots.
The commission voted for Green to write a memo to that effect to protect the commission should there be an audit.
The purpose of Monday’s meeting actually was to approve a proposed budget for the 2011-12 fiscal year. The proposed budget, which now goes to the county mayor’s office and the County Commission, is more than $268,000. That is less than the current budget of more than $329,000, which included the cost of two elections.
Contact Randall Higgins at rhiggins@timesfreepress.com or 423-314-1029.