JONESBORO — In its meeting Monday, July 10, the Jonesboro City Council denied an intergovernmental agreement with Clayton County, which would have called for the county to conduct the city’s November 2023 general election.
Council members Tracey Messick, Don Dixon, Billy Powell, Ed Wise, and Bobby Lester voted to deny the agreement while Alfred Dixon was the lone dissenting vote.
According to the meeting agenda documents, the estimated cost for the city to run the Nov. 7 election will be $24,000. The county’s estimated cost was $11,704. The city’s cost for its March 21, 2023 special election was $23,000.
The City Council will hold a called meeting Monday to discuss further details of the election.
The seats up for election in November include Mayor Donya Sartor and council members Alfred Dixon, Ed Wise, and Tracey Messick. All Council seats are at-large.
Qualifying is planned in late August but specific dates haven’t been officially set.
In giving her reasons for making the motion to deny the IGA with the county, Messick said there had been problems with the county running elections in the past and she was previously told that no other municipalities allowed the county to handle their elections.
“I think it’s worth the (extra) $13,000 to ensure our votes are going through the way they should go through,” she said. “I want to be sure ours is right. We owe that to the people who voted for us. I think we owe that to the people who live here to make sure everything is handled appropriately.”
In a short presentation to the Council in recommending the agreement, City Clerk Melissa Brooks said the Clayton County Board of Elections has the staff and infrastructure to conduct elections.
“I think it will be a benefit to the city of Jonesboro to perhaps consider entering an IGA with Clayton County Elections Board for the provision…
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