Cities, school district pay big for elections

Tarrant County determines the cost of the election by the number of polling places, elections administrator Steve Raborn said.

"The estimate is usually higher than the actual," he said. "So we don't know for sure how much it will cost until after the election when all the bills come in and we know how many people worked."

Southlake

Southlake contracts with both Tarrant and Denton counties because the city straddles the two counties.

Southlake spent about $6,240 last year for its general election. The city paid about $4,970 to Tarrant County to manage one polling place within the city and about $1,260 to Denton County to conduct its election at one shared polling location in Trophy Club.

Denton County charged the city for a variety of services, such as payment for supplies, elections clerks and voting equipment rentals, said Paula Paschal, contract manager for the Denton County Elections Administration.

"The largest ticket item is paying the workers out of everything," she said. "If one city wants more voting equipment for this election, it will cost them more and it is proportionate to the number of registered voters in each of the entities."

The Tarrant County Elections Administration estimates Southlake will pay it about $13,230 to conduct this year's general election. The Denton County Elections Administration estimates the city will pay it about $1,740.

The polling location for Southlake residents living in Tarrant County is Carroll Senior High School at 1501 W. Southlake Boulevard. Southlake residents residing in Denton County will have to visit Trophy Club MUD at 100 Municipal Drive in Trophy Club. Polls will open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday.

Incumbent Carolyn Morris and Greg Standerfer are vying for a three-year term to the City Council Place 2 seat.

Grapevine

Last year, Grapevine spent about $10,980 for the city election, which included an election services contract with Tarrant County, publication costs and supplies, City Secretary Jodi Brown said. Grapevine paid Tarrant County about $5,540 last year for conducting its city election at the Community Activities Center at 1175 Municipal Way.

This year, Tarrant County estimates the city will pay $5,805 to conduct a joint election with Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District at the Community Activities Center. The projected total cost for the city election has yet to be determined, Brown said.

The city's only race is for mayor. Mayor William D. Tate is seeking re-election for a position he has held since 1988. Tate previously served as mayor from 1973 to 1985. Tate's challenger, Anne Marie Kearney, a former city employee, is seeking to implement term limits.

Grapevine-Colleyville ISD

Grapevine-Colleyville ISD serves residents of both Grapevine and Colleyville. The school district splits the cost of its voting sites with the host cities, unless they cancel their elections.

Colleyville canceled its election after both City Council members Mike Taylor and Tom Hart drew no opposition, so this year GCISD will foot the bill for conducting its election at Bransford Elementary School in Colleyville.

Last May, GCISD paid Tarrant County $29,135 to conduct its bond election at seven locations. Sixty-eight percent of voters approved the $124.5 million bond measure, which included proposals to renovate and repair facilities.

Colleyville paid about $4,560 to the county last year and Grapevine paid about $5,540. Holding a joint city and school board election helps saves residents money, Brown said.

This year, Grapevine and GCISD will hold a joint election at the Community Activities Center. Tarrant County estimates GCISD will pay $18,773 to the county to conduct elections at the following places from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday:

• Pat May Center at 1849-B Central Drive in Bedford
• Bransford Elementary School at 601 Glade Road in Colleyville
• Bear Creek Elementary School at 401 Bear Creek Drive in Euless
• Grapevine Community Activities Center at 1175 Municipal Way in Grapevine
• Carroll Senior High School at 1501 W. Southlake Boulevard in Southlake
• Hurst Public Library at 901 Precinct Line Road in Hurst

Kimberley Barber Davis and Julia Guzman-Henderson are running for GCISD Place 1. Incumbent Becky St. John and challenger Gary Harrison-Ducros are vying for GCISD Place 2. Both places are for three-year terms.

GCISD Place 1 candidate Rick Hinckley and Place 2 candidate Michael McCoy dropped out of the race for personal reasons. Still, their names will appear on the ballot.

"There is a statutory deadline from withdrawing from the election, but they did not do that before the deadline," Raborn said. "They have really not withdrawn from the race. But officially they are still in the election, so any votes that are cast for them will be still tabulated.