MILTON, Ga. — To save money and ensure greater election integrity, the City of Milton decided last December to divorce Fulton County and run its own municipal election this fall.
Milton and the City of Palmetto are the only cities in Fulton County that will be taking on the task.
Since the Milton City Council decision, cost estimates provided by city staff have fluctuated but have remained far lower than what Fulton County would have charged this year. The latest estimate, shown in Milton’s fiscal year 2024 budget draft, is a cost of $102,280.
Fulton County officials told Appen Media it would have charged Milton $217,565 to run its November 2023 municipal election. If the city required a December runoff election, the county would have charged another $96,586.
The county rate no longer uses a flat fee per registered voter formula to set its price, like it did in previous years. In 2021, Fulton County charged Milton $84,671 for its municipal elections and another $70,368 to conduct a runoff election in late November.
For comparison, the City of Suwanee in Gwinnett County conducted its own general and runoff municipal election in 2021 for a combined total of $12,600, according to Suwanee City Clerk Robyn O’Donnell. The city, which is around 11 square miles, used one polling location at Suwanee City Hall, and hand-counted paper ballots.
Meanwhile, Milton, a city encompassing about 40 square miles, intends to implement polls at Milton City Hall, the Community Center at Milton Park and Preserve and the Milton Public Safety Complex.
Appen Media will continue to track fluctuation in estimated election costs for the City of Milton.
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