The county budget committee Tuesday night adopted the election commission budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year but denied a request by election administrator Dustin Estes for a second full time employee for his office. Instead, the committee voted to fund a part time position at $18,096.
Estes, as he had done in April, tried to make his case for the second full time deputy and he cited statistics to back up his request.
“I am requesting to add one deputy to my staff. I operate with a staff of one,” said Estes during his previous remarks in April. “Some statistics to back up the need for the extra support, from 2017 to 2025 we have seen a 21% growth in our voter rolls,” explained Estes. “In the last four years DeKalb County has increased 8% in its total residents and our voter rolls have increased 11%. Looking at similar counties to DeKalb County, Smith County has two deputies. I think they have operated with two deputies for some time. Adding a second deputy would potentially alleviate any comp time and it would also support our office in vacation and sick time. We have been fortunate so far but with a staff of one I feel like we run the risk during election time. Heaven forbid but if something were to happen to myself or that one person during an election, we would really have liability with such an important task,” explained Estes.
The budget committee’s recommendation will be included in the 2025-26 budget subject to final adoption by the full county commission later this summer.
Meanwhile plans are moving forward to eventually relocate the election commission office from the courthouse to unused office space at the county complex. In January a budget amendment in the amount of $110,000 was appropriated from the fund balance of capital projects. A bid was recently awarded to make the renovation, and the work is expected to be completed perhaps by the first of July.