The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly enacted an ordinance that appropriates $20,000 from the general fund to cover unexpected election expenses.
The ordinance was sponsored by KPB Assembly President Brent Johnson:
“The State of Alaska has given a raise to election workers. In our borough code, we have a language that makes us follow suit. When the state does that, then we give our borough workers a raise too. The raise is roughly from $10 an hour to $20 an hour. In addition, the state is going to use the prep school for holding their early voting and absentee voting. In an effort to be consistent for voters, we’re going to do the same thing, which means that we had to hire janitorial services and that’s another $4,000.”
According to the ordinance, the FY23 budget was approved with election officials’ wages reflected at the lesser rate and an additional $16,000 was needed to cover the unexpected payroll expense. The state has increased wages for election officials from $10.00 to $20.50 for election board chairs, from $9.50 to $20.00 for election board judges and from $12.00 to $20.50 for absentee voting officials.
The Alaska Division of Elections have been conducting absentee voting at the Soldotna Prep building for all of 2022’s elections. The Division also has designated Soldotna Prep as the day of election polling location for the Mackey Lake and Funny River No. 2 precincts. Because the building has no full-time custodian, the Division contracted with a local provider for custodial services from September 16 through October 5 during the Borough’s local election season.
The expense was not expected at the time the FY23 budget was approved.
