Farmington's Registrars Make Case For Pay Increases

FARMINGTON, CT — Citing increased workloads and growing responsibilities, Farmington's registrars of voters this month have asked the town council for a raise and stipends.

Speaking before the Farmington Town Council on Jan. 14, Democratic Farmington Registrar of Voters Beth Kintner and Republican Registrar Ann Newbury both made their cases for a pay adjustment for the position that many say is long overdue.

And, for good measure, Farmington Town Council Chairman Joe Capodiferro said the time is now to discuss the situation.

He said he "feels it is time to sit down and update job responsibilities and salary."

Currently, the salary of Farmington's registrars of voters is $29,400 for what is considered to be a part-time, 15-hour-a-week position (not including busier times of year when referendums/elections take place.)

But, according to registrars and deputy registrars speaking before the council during the audience of citizens Jan. 14, times have changed.

With more pressure put on registrars in the form of increased rules and regulations, early voting, and growing voter rolls, what is 15 hours a week, often, requires double those hours, they said.

Speaking before the council earlier this month, Newbury explained in detail the processes involved in early voting and same-day voter registration.

According to Newbury, changes in how elections are conducted and voters registered have, simply, required increased hours for registrars and deputies.

Kintner agreed, telling councilmen, that the amount of voters in Farmington has increased by 19.5 percent over 10 years and 28 percent over the past two decades.

Plus, she said, the introduction of new voting technology and expected new changes in voter registry systems are going to require more training and time.

According to Kintner, the listed duties of the registrars call for a three-day, 15-hour work week.

But, she said, the complexities of the modern registrar's job require much more than that, often 20-30 hours a week just to keep up with all the new regulations and technology.

The registrars distributed various charts comparing Farmington's pay with other towns, as well as a breakdown of what the registrars are seeking regarding pay/stipends.

As a result, registrars are requesting a positional pay raise from $29,400 to $42,300 a year, along with stipends for those times of year when additional services are required, such as elections/referendums, early voting, and voter registration sessions.

For example, the registrars are seeking $500 stipends for working on town meetings/referendums and $1,500 stipends each for working on early voting sessions and election night for the gubernatorial elections in 2026.

For this year, when municipal elections are expected to have a smaller voter turnout, the latter two stipends are reduced to $1,200 for early voting and $750 for election night.

According to an unofficial canvas of registrar pay of nearby towns, Farmington's proposed new salary compares favorably with South Windsor ($43,000) and West Hartford, which recently upped registrar pay to $47,500 a year.

Other towns, according to the canvas, paid between $29,500 a year (Bloomfield) to $56,914 a year (Milford).

The registrar pay issue was not on the agenda on Jan. 14, with the council's planned Jan. 28 meeting canceled.

More than likely, the matter be taken up by the town next month.

For the minutes of the Jan. 14 Farmington Town Council meeting, including the handout given to council members on registrar pay, click on this link.