Supervisor of elections budget at forefront in Brevard County Commission budget debate

Brevard County commissioners are poised to approve a $2.04 billion budget after their second and final budget hearing on Tuesday evening.

But a $318,223 sliver of the budget — representing less than 0.02% of the total ― is generating the biggest stir.

That's the amount a majority of commissioners voted Sept. 5 to shift from the budget of the Brevard County Supervisor of Elections Office and into Brevard County Fire Rescue, with the money targeted to help pay for constructing and renovating firehouses.

Commission split on elections budget: Brevard County Commission's 3-2 vote ends funding for mailing of sample ballots to voters

County Commissioner John Tobia ― who suggested the change — contended that the increase that Supervisor of Elections Tim Bobanic was proposing in his department's 2023-24 elections budget was too big. It was a 19.4% increase from the department's budget for 2022-23 fiscal year that ends Sept. 30.

Bobanic, though, says the increase is the result of more elections to run in the 2023-24 budget cycle, compared with 2022-23, including a presidential primary in March. He said such an increase occurs every four years.

Tobia suggested trimming the proposed elections budget by $318,223 ― which is the amount Bobanic's office proposed spending for mailing sample ballot to all voters in advance of elections and for paying the postage on vote-by-mail ballots that are mailed in by voters.

That revision changed the proposed increase in the supervisor of elections 2023-24 budget to 14.54% ― or $952,612 over the current year's budget ― and made his total budget $7.5 million.

Tobia is running against Bobanic for the supervisor of elections position in the 2024 election, in a Republican primary.

Bobanic contends that politics are involved. Tobia denies that, and says he is trying to be fiscally prudent with taxpayer money, pointing out that the percentage of Bobanic's proposed budget increase was significantly higher than those requested by other elected countywide officials in the 2023-24 county budget.

According to data compiled by county budget officials, these are the general fund increases in proposed 2023-24 budget for other countywide offices, compared with what commissioners approved for the 2022-23 budget: Brevard County Sheriff's Office, 8.57%; Brevard County Property Appraiser’s Office, 6.73%; and Brevard County Clerk of Clerk Office, 3%.

Bobanic says, unlike those other entities, the percent changes in his office's budget cannot be compared from one year to the next because the number of elections changes from year to year. He said increases in the supervisor of elections budget for 2023-24, compared with a year earlier, are the result of there being more elections during the 2023-24 budget year, including a presidential primary election in March 2024, plus a state and local primary election in August 2024.

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County budget officials say the percentage increase in the supervisor of elections budget going into the 2020 presidential election year was 27.67%. Bobanic noted that budget was approved by commissioners, and represented a higher percentage increase than what they are rejecting this time.

Joining Tobia in voting to take $318,223 out of the supervisor of elections' proposed 2023-24 budget were County Commission Chair Rita Pritchett and Commissioner Jason Steele. Voting against the changes were Vice Chair Tom Goodson and Commissioner Rob Feltner. All are Republicans, as is Bobanic.

Bobanic plans to speak during public comment at Tuesday's budget hearing, which begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Brevard County Government Center in Viera. He needs to persuade at least one commissioner to change his or her vote.

Debate over need for sample ballots

Bobanic said voters depend on the sample ballots as part of their research of candidates and issues before casting their ballots. Without the mailing of sample ballots to all voters, Bobanic predicts there will be delays and long lines at polling places, as some voters try to research as they are handed their ballots.

Bobanic also noted that the sample ballots include other information: the voter’s precinct and polling place location and address; the identification requirements to vote; a list of early-voting sites with days and times they are open; information about returning mail ballots to secure ballot intake stations, also known as drop boxes; a list of supervisor of elections administrative offices; and various Election Day instructions.

Steele, though, said he believes the commission's majority vote to reduce Bobanic's total budget from Bobanic's original proposal is justified, saying the proposed increase of more than 19% was "completely out of line." Steele said, mailing every voter a sample ballot is, "in my opinion, a waste of public money."

Steele said, if Bobanic's office doesn't mail out sample ballots, voters still will have three ways to get the information: request that a sample ballot be emailed to them, as more than 68,000 of the more than 417,000 registered voters already have done; go to the supervisor of elections website and print out a sample ballot themselves; or check the sample ballot that would be published in FLORIDA TODAY in advance of the election.

"It's not economically feasible for the county to pay to mail out sample ballots," Steele said.

Steele said he has received more than 25 emails on the issue, with many of the writers angry about the possibility of not receiving sample ballots.

But Steele added: "I'm not changing my vote," adding that "this thing has turned into a political hot football."

During their first budget hearing on Sept. 5, commissioners took a preliminary vote on the county's overall proposed 2023-24 budget, and unanimously supported it. Minutes later, the debate began on the supervisor of elections budget.

Bobanic contends that the initial overall vote on the budget shows that commissioners could have left his budget proposal intact.

Tobia has said Bobanic could always shift money around in his budget to continue mailing out sample ballots.

But Bobanic said he doesn't "have any extra money in my budget" to do so, and doesn't know what he will do about the mailing of sample ballots if commissioners don't add more money back into his 2023-24 budget.

The first election to be impacted would be this November's municipal and special district elections, in which there will be contested races in Cape Canaveral, Indian Harbour Beach, Melbourne Beach and Rockledge, as well as in the Barefoot Bay Recreational District.

Bobanic said, among the 16 largest counties in Florida, all supervisors of elections mail out sample ballots to voters, and most also publish a sample ballot in their local newspaper. He said he knows of none other than Brevard that plans to stop mailing out the sample ballots, and knows of no concerted political effort in other Florida counties or other states to push that change.

"It's very unique, just to Brevard County," Bobanic said.

Bobanic also opposes not having his office pay the postage costs when voters mail in their vote-by-mail ballots, saying: "Voters shouldn't have to pay to cast their vote."

But Steele says that if voters want the convenience of voting by mail, and "value your vote," they can stick a stamp on the ballot envelope before mailing it in.

The estimated cost of the county paying the postage for voters sending in vote-by-mail ballots for the 2023-24 budget year is $59,501.

Travel spending issue raised

Among the issues Tobia raised with Bobanic during the first budget hearing on Sept. 5 was travel expenses. He called Bobanic out for staying at the "five-star" Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City hotel in Arlington, Virginia, for the annual Joint Election Official Liaison Conference in January.

In a subsequent interview, Bobanic said the conference was being held at that hotel, and attendees received a discounted room rate of $188 a night, which is relatively inexpensive for the Washington, D.C., area. He and his chief deputy attended the conference.

According to documents Bobanic provided to county commissioners, other hotels Bobanic has stayed for conferences or meetings in the current budget year include: The Shores Resort & Spa in Daytona Beach for the Florida Supervisor of Elections Winter Conference last December; the Homewood Suites in Tallahassee for a orientation event for new supervisors of elections in February and for Florida Supervisor of Elections Legislative Days in March; the Residence Inn in Tallahassee for Brevard Days at the Capitol in March; the Hilton Garden Inn in Ocala for meetings in April; and the Sanibel Harbour Marriott Resort & Spa in Fort Myers for the Florida Supervisor of Elections Summer Conference in May.

Bobanic said these out-of-town events are typical for the supervisor of elections to attend, and travel expenses had not been questioned during the tenure of his predecessor, Lori Scott, who resigned last year. Additionally, Bobanic said, his proposed 2023-24 budget proposes a 24.69% decrease in travel expenses.

Bobanic was appointed last year as supervisor of elections by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to fill the unexpired term of Scott.

Tobia is completing his second four-year term as county commissioner, and cannot seek reelection to that post in 2024 because of term limits.

The supervisor of elections position pays $174,011 a year and has a four-year term.

Overall county budget

The county's proposed overall budget of about $2.04 billion for the 2023-24 fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 is a 2.64% increase over the current 2022-23 budget of about $1.99 billion.

The proposed 2023-24 general fund tax rate of 3.0486 per $1,000 of taxable value is a 6.54% decrease from the 2022-23 tax rate of 3.2619 per $1,000 of taxable value. The new rate would amount to $609.72 for a single-family home with a taxable value of $200,000. This is the 10th consecutive year that the proposed general countywide property tax rate has been reduced from the prior year.

Homeowners pay the general fund tax and any other applicable taxes for things such as library or special road districts.

The budget ― as proposed in July by Brevard County Manager Frank Abbate ― includes money for 5% pay raises for county staff, upgrades to the Brevard County's jail complex, seven new or renovated fire stations, more road repairs, improvements at 20 parks facilities and expanded lifeguard coverage along Brevard's beaches.

Dave Berman is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at dberman@floridatoday.com, on X at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard elections supervisor seeks money to mail sample ballots