December 22, 2024

County poll workers see $2 pay increase for 2019

By Mike Mendenhall

Voter’s cast their ballot in the 2017 city elections in Newton. The Jasper County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to increase county poll worker’s hourly rate by $2, due to 16-hour days and the added responsibility of implementing the state’s new voter ID law. (File Photo)

Poll workers at Jasper County’s voting precincts will see a $2 per hour pay increase on election days in 2019, after the Jasper County Board of Supervisors approved the proposal by the county auditor in a 2-0 vote Tuesday.

Pay for precinct election officials’ will go from $10 to $12 per hour, and precinct chairperson will see a $10.50 to $12.50 bump.

According to Jasper County Auditor Dennis Parrott, 2012 was last time Jasper County poll workers saw a pay increase.

“With new laws and regulations, poll workers find it more difficult to follow the laws and follow what they need to do every day,” Parrott said. “It’s a 16-hour day. We give them two hours of training ahead of time, and it’s becoming more and more difficult to find poll workers. It takes a day away from your life.”

Parrott said there is enough money available in the auditor’s overall budget that an increase will not be necessary for the pay adjustment, even in the event of special elections in 2019.

The increase also comes as poll workers across Iowa prepare to fully implement the state’s new voter ID law — officially called the Election Modernization and Integrity Act — which ended its “soft rollout” Jan. 1. In accordance with the law and rules from the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office, Iowa poll workers will have to verify a voter’s identity by comparing either a photo or voter’s signature on an approved form of identification to the real thing.

It’s a judgment call that Parrott said is asking poll workers to take on “a lot of responsibility.”

“If all of you would go in and watch the poll workers run the election on Election D say, you’d be amazed and shocked at the grief they take and accuracy they have to have,” Parrott said.

In other action Tuesday, the board:

• Approved the purchase of a wet end hydraulic kit and other parts and maintenance to a sewage disposal system that services the Jasper County Animal Rescue League. According to county maintenance director Adam Sparks, the sewage system used to service the county facilities of Quakerdale and the old care facility and is aging. The bid from Des Moines-based Electric Pump for parts and labor in the amount of $5,455 was approved 2-0.

• Approved the purchase of a Skyjack scissor lift for the county maintenance department for $10,045 from United Rentals. The unit comes with a two-year warranty.

• Approved the hire of two employees to fill vacancies in the public health and secondary roads departments. Morgan Arrowood was hired as a PRN homecare aid at $15.28 per hour, and Todd Neleman was hired as a Mechanic II at $22.18 per hour.

Contact Mike Mendenhall at 641-792-3121 Ext 6530 or mmendenhall@newtondailynews.com