Elections Commission returns half of budget to state
During a time when most public and private entities have had to tighten their purse strings and decide which expenditures were really a necessity, one organization in Faulkner County has found a way to not only cut back on expenses but also return a portion of their budget to the state’s coffers.
The Faulkner County Elections Commission was able to return $4,343.10 from the $9,000 they were given by the state to cover expenses in the Nov. 8, 2011 election.
Frank Shaw, chairman of the commission said that when he attended a meeting of the State Board of Elections Commissioners earlier this week, he was told that Faulkner County is the only county in the state to return funding.
“I was asked to be at the meeting to discuss the refund and we were the only county listed by name on the agenda,” he said. “I was told by the commissioners that with the information they had been given, we were the only state to be able to return some of the funding given in anticipation of the election expenses. I am proud that as a county we were recognized, albeit informally, as being fiscally responsible.”
Shaw pointed out two major factors which contributed to the state’s refund.
“One of the things we did as an election committee was to consolidate the polling locations in the county,” he said. “We knew that the turnout for the November election would not be huge and having 48 places to cast a ballot seemed excessive. From the 48 locations, we narrowed it down to 7 and were able to save about $3,900.”
The seven locations were staged at major thoroughfares in Vilonia, Greenbrier, Mayflower and Conway and included two, early voting locations.
According to Shaw without having to pay to have the location or the cost of poll employees wages, the savings were significant and did not inconvenience voters.
Shaw credits the efforts of Melinda Reynolds, Faulkner County Clerk for helping to provide the last bit of savings that added to the return given to the state.
“In lieu of paying the company that makes the voting machines to program them for each election, Melinda programs them herself, which adds up to some considerable savings,” he said. “The company charges thousands of dollars to program the voting machines so having someone that is able to handle the task in-house is a great advantage for us.”
Reynolds said that when the county acquired the machines in 2004, she was required to learn how to program them, so she has been doing so for the past seven years.
“I have programmed the machines about 37 times in the past seven years, which can add up to a significant savings for the county,” she said. “For a bigger election, such as a primary, it could cost between $5,000 and $10,000 to have the outside company program the machines.”
Shaw said that another first for the county will come in May when voters are provided with expanded early voting locations, outside of Conway. Locations are expected to be open in Vilonia, Mayflower and Greenbrier.
(Candie Beck is a staff writer and can be reached at 505-1238 or at candie.beck@thecabin.net)
