A calculation error forced the Habersham County Commission to rescind a previous vote on qualifying fees and reset those fees for this year’s election.
During their December regular meeting, the commission approved qualifying fees for the 2024 election cycle. However, after a closer look, commissioners questioned the fees, especially for county commission seats.
Habersham County Human Resources Director Ann Cain explained to commissioners the fees are based on the salary of the elected office. She said everything adds to that base pay, such as becoming certified or becoming chairman.
Commission Chairman Ty Akins asked Cain, “So, the longer you’re a commissioner, the more it costs to run again?” She replied, “Yes. It’s a percent of the bottom line you bring in.”
That information proved incorrect. County staff discovered the error, and after researching the matter, Cain presented commissioners with a new set of qualifying fees at their Jan. 16 meeting.
“First, I want to apologize for the incorrect fees being provided at the last meeting,” said Cain. She then added, “I am confident that the fees being presented tonight are correct for approval.”
After amending their previous vote, the Habersham County Commission set the new qualifying fees.
Based on the new fee schedule, it will cost candidates $288 to qualify to run for county commission. The qualifying fee for the school board is $153. Other fees for other local offices range from $750 for county coroner to $3,210.97 for state court judge.
Qualifying for the May primary begins on Monday, March 4, and will run until noon on Friday, March 8.
