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Cost of funding city election a sticking point [The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)]
[October 21, 2014]

Cost of funding city election a sticking point [The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)]


(Gazette (Colorado Springs, CO) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Oct. 21--Next April's Colorado Springs municipal election is expected to cost $600,000.

That's what City Clerk Sarah Johnson asked for in the 2015 budget. But what if there is a mayoral runoff, as there was in 2011, some council members asked. There is no money in the budget for a runoff election, which could cost about $330,000. In the mayoral election, a candidate must receive 50.1 percent of the votes or there is runoff between the top two vote getters in May.



Johnson said election budgets can be tough to project. The cost of elections depends on a number of variables, including the number of registered voters and the number of items on a ballot. But she is confident that the proposed 2015 budget "was a good starting point," she said.

"If there is a runoff and we need additional money we will have to come back and ask for supplemental appropriations," Johnson said.


The issue: Relying on the reserve fund mid-year could be risky, some council members said. The reserve already was tapped in 2014 for $2 million to pay for emergency pothole repairs. The proposed 2015 budget calls for taking $1.5 million from the reserve fund to cover a network overhaul in the Information Technology department and some police department equipment.

"The likelihood for runoff is pretty good," said councilman Joel Miller. "To not plan for that, this is inadequate." Council president Keith King has a different take. If there is no money in the 2015 budget for a runoff or special election, then it will be up to Bach, he said, to find the money somewhere within the approved budget to pay for the runoff or any special election.

What's next? City Council will mark up the proposed 2015 budget and could make changes at its Oct. 30 meeting. Once the council makes its changes to the budget, it will forward them to the mayor, who then can veto any change the council makes. It would take a supermajority of council -- six members -- to override a mayoral veto.

___ (c)2014 The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.) Visit The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.) at www.gazette.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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