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AUGUSTA, Ga— On the final day of early voting for the House District 130 run-off, voter turnout remained sluggish, reflecting an election that hasn’t exactly been a financial triumph. The costs incurred have far outweighed the participation.
“Considering the special election’s $60,000 price tag, we’re looking at about $35 per vote,” noted Elections Director Travis Doss. It’s a calculation that hints at the financial strain this election has placed on the city.
The run-off election is set to add nearly $40,000 more to the already hefty bill. Since this is classified as a special election, these expenses weren’t accounted for in the city’s budget. Consequently, Doss had to appeal to city commissioners for additional funds.
“In a year marked by financial challenges, requesting funds from the contingency budget is particularly difficult,” Doss explained. “It appears that commissioners are frequently tapping into these reserves.”
Despite the financial hurdles, the city prudently set aside $1.2 million at the beginning of the year to cover unforeseen costs, aiming to navigate such unexpected financial demands more smoothly.
“Now we have to deduct this amount as well as some other deductions that we are currently processing in the system now, we are dwindling those funds away early this first quarter,” said City Administrator Tameka Allen.
And if the May primaries require a run-off that is also not budgeted, that could cost another $200-thousand.
This has the administrator saying in a perfect world she would like to have put more into the contingency fund.
“I’d rather have at least $2 million in contingency at the beginning of the year, but unfortunately, we were able to only have the one point two,” said Allen.
Elections officials will be keeping an eye adding up the votes as the city keeps an eye on the contingency fund going down.