SCOTT COUNTY, Iowa — Scott County is making changes this election that affects its poll workers and how much they are paid.
County poll workers are seeing a pay increase. The same thing happened during the 2020 elections, but a recent investigation found that it violated the law.
"This complaint was wholly unnecessary," Scott County Board of Supervisor Ken Croken said.
The report found that the Scott County Auditor's Office paid about an additional $12,000 to poll workers during the 2020 primary and general elections. The issue was that the measure wasn't approved by board supervisors.
"Our auditor took the steps necessary to ensure a safe and fair election," Croken said.
According to the report, former Scott County Auditor Roxanna Moritz made the payments, citing it as an incentive to retain election staff.
"Had the request come to us, we would have asked for market information to justify that request," Scott County Board of Supervisor Tony Knobbe said.
Kerri Tompkins, the new Scott County auditor following Moritz's retirement in 2021, said she wants to make sure everything's done by the books.
"We want to make sure that they're done correctly," Tompkins said. "We want to make sure that it's a fair payment because we know it's a lot of work."
The county board gave approval in spring 2022 to Tompkins' request for a $2 raise for poll workers. They now make roughly $12.50 per hour.
"We're actually one of the higher-paid counties in the state of Iowa," Tompkins added.
Tompkins said she has made sure all measures go through extensive and proper channels before moving forward.
Mortiz did not respond back to a request for comment.
No fines are being issued for the overpayments, but the State Auditor Rob Sand said new election rules call for fines of $10,000 if there is a case of non-compliance.