| TO: | Honorable Leo Berman, Chair, House Committee on Elections |
| FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB2250 by Van Arsdale (Relating to the costs of holding certain joint elections.), As Introduced |
The bill would exempt an independent school district that holds a joint election with a county from paying costs associated with the conduct of voting in the election on election day or the period for early voting by personal appearance. Cost savings to school districts under the provision would vary from school district to school district and would presumably be offset by costs incurred by counties.
Counties with large numbers of school districts could incur more costs and loss of revenue than counties with fewer districts. Dallas County reported that if the bill is approved by two-thirds of all members of each house, there would be a cost of $800,000 in May of 2007 due to the immediate effect clause. If the bill passes but takes effect on September 1, 2007, the county would have a minimum of $800,000 in costs for fiscal years 2008 and 2009, with costs potentially rising in future years. The Travis County Clerk’s Office reported that with nine school districts in the county, there would be potential costs ranging from $210,000 to $500,000 per year. Harris County reported a potential loss of $500,000 for all the instances where joint election costs would be borne solely by the county. These losses would be expected to occur every other year. Lubbock County reported new costs of $175,000 in fiscal year 2008, $100,000 in fiscal year 2009, $175,000 in fiscal year 2010, $125,000 in fiscal year 2011, and $200,000 in fiscal year 2012. El Paso County reported a minimum of $60,000 in costs per election, mostly for election clerks and potentially longer ballots. Howard County reported no significant fiscal impact to implement the provisions of the bill.
| Source Agencies: | 701 Central Education Agency
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| LBB Staff: | JOB, MN, UP, JSp, KJG
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