A full-time Central Electoral Office, for continuous voter registration, is to be formally established in Anguilla and will be reflected in the 2018 Government Budget.
Following is the decision taken by Executive Council at its regular meeting on Thursday, August 3, 2017:
EX MIN 17/355 EX MEM 17/224 CENTRAL ELECTORAL OFFICE
Hon Parliamentary remained in attendance. Mrs Chanelle Petty-Barrett, PS, MHA joined the Meeting.
Further to EX MIN 17/237 of 8th June 2017, Council agreed that:-
(i) the Central Electoral Office should be set up in the space currently occupied by the Festival Office and the Anguilla Youth Business Foundation on the ground floor of the Canon Ball Building from September 2017. The space has furniture and equipment and all costs are already being met by Government. There is therefore minimal cost involved in setting up the office;
(ii) the office should be opened from 9:00am to 1:00pm, Monday to Friday for the remainder of 2017;
(iii) one person should be recruited and engaged as the Electoral Registration Officer to run the office at an approximate cost of $3000.00 a month, and that a public officer must be trained as a substitute who could cover for the Electoral Registration Officer when necessary;
(iv) a sum of EC$4000.00 per month should be paid to the Supervisor of Elections for the remainder of 2017;
(v) a small budget of approximately EC$4,950.00 be approved to cover the following for the remainder of 2017:-
Supplies and materials $2,500.00
Communication expenses $ 850.00
Cleaning costs $1,600.00
(vi) from January 2018 and thereafter the office should be opened full time with two staff members. Payment for these officers should be:- Electoral Registration Officer – $67,740.00 per annum; Assistant – $41,000.00 per annum (akin to a Clerical Officer); and
(vii) a budget for the operation of the Central Electoral Office should be approved in the 2018 budget and forward estimates presented to Executive Council at the appropriate time for consideration. Council authorised the issue of the action sheet before confirmation of the Minutes.
Action: PS, MHA; PS, FIN; PS, EDICTLP; BD; ACC GEN; HON AG; MINS OF GOV’T
