Pitkin County Clerk and Recorder’s Office, still processing ballots, sees decrease in 2025 elections budget request
2024 saw three elections, 2025 slated for one
Clerk and Recorder’s Office/Courtesy photo
Pitkin County commissioners on Tuesday heard presentations about the smallest section of the county’s overall 2025 budget: the prosperous economy budget.
This section rings in at just over $50 million, or 18%, of the overall $255 million requested in 2025. In 2024, the prosperous economy budget requested $47.3 million. This is a 5.87% increase.
Tuesday marked some of the last county budget presentations of the season, with the prosperous economy budget including a number of elected departments.
These departments include the Clerk and Recorder, the Board of County Commissioners, and the County Manager and make up the prosperous economy section of the overall county budget.
The Clerk and Recorder’s Office is requesting nearly $1.4 million. This office provides services for motor vehicle registration and titling, elections, public recording of land use documents, and marriage and civil union licensing. For elections, $568,554 is requested, bringing the total of these to a combined $2 million, or 4%, of the prosperous economy budget.
From 2024 to 2025, the Clerk and Recorder’s Office funds are increasing 12.13%.
Election funds are decreasing 28.58% since 2024 saw three elections, and 2025 is currently slated to have one.
“This is an area of the budget that fluctuates depending on what type of an election is coming up the following year, 2025 being an off-year, so we would expect the decrease there,” said Pitkin County Budget Director Connie Baker.
The Clerk and Recorder’s Office has two priorities for 2025 that will affect revenue: recording and motor vehicle, as well as elections.
In 2024, recording legislation was passed to standardize recording fees to a flat fee of $40 per document instead of charging per page. This change will go into effect on July 1, 2025 and could increase revenues slightly. Marriage license fees will also increase from $30 to $40.
Beginning with the 2024 general election, a new Secretary of State rule was adopted that requires counties to have a six hour pop-up voting service and polling center in jails for one day during the early voting window. This will create more expense and staff and election judge time in the coming year.
In 2025, there will be a single coordinated election in November unless there is a need for a special election.
During the Tuesday presentation, it was stated that a special election may be possible since ballot question 1C, the airport-related question that sought to amend Article II of the county’s governing document, the Home Rule Charter, to reaffirm Pitkin County’s power to approve and carry out the layout plan for the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport, passed over ballot question 200.
Ballot question 200 sought to amend the Home Rule Charter to restrict county officials’ decision-making power regarding the expansion or relocation of any runway at the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport beyond the dimensions and locations that existed on Jan. 1 without voter approval in their ballot question.
If a special election is called, this would require a supplemental budget request.
In this off-election year, the Clerk and Recorder’s Office will use this time to cross-train the election specialist with other Clerk and Recorder departments. The office is also hoping to fill an open position that will be increased to a full-time position with this budget request. By making it a full-time position, the office hopes this will aid in recruitment.
“It’ll be a whole lot easier to find someone full time with benefits and cross training (opportunities),” said Pitkin County Clerk Ingrid Grueter.
The Clerk and Recorder’s Office did not budget for the new 45% reimbursement from the state of Colorado for the November 2025 election, as this is only effective if there is certified state content on the ballot.
The voting system replacement and upgrade will be completed in 2025. This process was started in 2023; however, ranked choice voting may require another possible voting system upgrade.
The presentation also stated that continued safety and security issues will be top of mind for the Clerk and Recorder’s Office, particularly in January 2025, when Donald Trump will be inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States.
Commissioner Patti Clapper asked what the final percentage of voters in Pitkin County came out to be for the 2024 presidential election.
Grueter reported that voter turnout was approximately 79% of active voters, with 11,208 ballots tabulated as of the Tuesday presentation. Additional overseas and cured ballots are set to be processed on Nov. 14.
Pitkin County will certify the election results on Nov. 25.
Grueter said for the 2016 presidential election, there was an 85% turnout.
Voter turnout is “a little bit down … Surprising, anyway, we still have 100 and some more to put through, but probably not going to change the percentage,” she said.
Regan Mertz can be reached at 970-429-9153 or rmertz@aspentimes.com.
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