John Ahern questions bill for City Council ballot recount

A failed candidate for Spokane City Council who paid for a partial ballot recount last year is questioning the bill he received for that service.

Former state Rep. John Ahern lost all but two of the 50 precincts in his race against incumbent City Councilman Jon Snyder. He requested that four precincts be recounted, not enough to change the outcome of the race.

County Auditor Vicky Dalton said Ahern was warned that because the race was not close, he would have to pay for all expenses of the recount and that it would cost between $1,500 and $2,000.

“The taxpayers shouldn’t bear any of the costs associated with that recount,” Dalton said.

The recount found that the tallies in each of the four precincts were accurate, and the Spokane County Canvassing Board approved a final bill for $1,748.42. Ahern had already paid $429.50 of that amount as a down payment before the recount.

Ahern paid the full bill under protest this week, but he argues that $651.04 of it should be suspended.

Among other charges, Ahern said he shouldn’t be billed for Dalton’s time or for what he calls excessive “prep time.” Ahern was charged about $280 for Dalton’s work on the recount.

“I question how your cost allocations compare to other past election recounts,” Ahern wrote in a letter to Dalton dated Dec. 30. “It appears there are significant inconsistencies in your accounting concerning them.”

But Dalton said all the charges are based in policy. She said the policy to charge for her time is new and the election office used cheaper temporary workers in a recount in 2011, but that was only because two recounts were occurring at the same time.

As the elected auditor, Dalton is paid the same no matter how much she works, $88,350 a year plus benefits. But Dalton said the county budget office has determined that during recounts her time should be divided into an hourly rate and paid for by the candidate or government agency required to pay for it.