Board of Selectmen
Selectmen OK Increase After Larger-Than-Usual Ballot Purchase
|
Municipal officials recently approved a request from the Town Clerk to allocate additional funds for specialized print materials after the town spent more money on ballots than it had in years past. In the past, town officials have tried to estimate just how many printed ballots would be needed for each election, “but since we ran out of ballots once or twice we wanted to err on the side of caution” for the 2022 election, according to Town Clerk Claudia Weber. “Previously, to not waste money—because ballots can be expensive—we would say ‘Well what’s the turnout in a general election? What’s the turnout for a presidential election?’ and we would guesstimate, ‘Well we probably need about 80% or we need 70% [of the total electorate],’ ” Weber told members of the Board of Selectmen during their regular meeting, held May 16 at Town Hall and via videoconference. “And this last time we just said ‘110%—we’re not going to run out of anything.’ ”
As a result, the Town Clerk’s office spent its budget for print materials such as meeting minute books ($195 apiece), vital records paper ($300) and vital records binders ($390), Weber said.