By Richard Kerns
Tribune Staff Writer
KEYSER — Looking to trim an elections expense that exceeds $20,000 a year, the city of Keyser is moving to end annual elections in favor of balloting every two years.
Because the races are non-partisan, the city may also eliminate its primary election and hold just one general election. The proposed change would also extend council members' terms from the current two years to four years.
According to city officials, Keyser is one of the few municipalities in West Virginia that conduct city or town council elections annually. With primary balloting, that makes for two elections every year.
Staffing the City Hall polling place with three to five poll workers is actually a relatively minor part of the elections expense. The bulk of the cost comes in paying city employees, who all receive the day off for both the primary and general elections. Essential personnel like police are paid overtime rates those days, as are any public works crews called out for an emergency.
Councilman Dave Sowers said the city's accountant reported that the total bill amounts to about $11,000 per election, when expenses like the poll workers' salaries and printing are included.
“It's not just the three or five people in City Hall,” said Councilman Ed Miller.
The City Council moved unanimously at its last meeting to begin the process for changing city elections.
“All of us thought it was a good idea,” said Mayor William “Sonny” Rhodes.
City Attorney John Athey will contact the Secretary of State's Office to research the particulars of such a change. He is to report back at the next meeting of the City Council, scheduled for Nov. 25.
Initial information indicates that the change could be made through a simple vote of the City Council, following a public hearing on the proposal. However, if significant opposition is voiced to such a move, the matter may have to go to a referendum.
Typically, any changes made to the elections process would take effect with a new election, so that sitting council members would have to win election under the new system before their terms would be extended to four years.
As with the current system, the council members' and mayor's terms would be staggered, so that the entire body is not up for re-election when ballots are cast.
In investigating the issue, city staff have already determined that the primary elections now held are unnecessary because municipal races are non-partisan, with the candidates' political affiliation not listed on the ballot.
If the primary election is eliminated and elections changed to every two years, Keyser would see its election related expense of about $44,000 every two years reduced to just $11,000.
