Published: January 19, 2006 11:47 pm            

County challenged over voter-data costs

EBENSBURG — A Philadelphia woman whose company specializes in providing voter data to candidates, committees and others is challenging Cambria County’s $55 fee per compact disc holding Cambria voter information.

Although the county reduced its previous fees – ranging up to $750 – to the $55 flat charge, Stephanie Frank Singer maintains that amount is more than allowed by law.

Singer, chief executive officer of Campaign Scientific, contends Cambria’s fee should be $5, plus a $2 mailing charge.

But county Election Supervisor Fred R. Smith said the $55 fee is reasonable. He said it’s the same amount charged by Westmoreland and Butler counties and less than the $175 charged by Allegheny County.

His position is supported by the commissioners, who make up the county board of elections, said President Commissioner P.J. Stevens. They had not yet received her objection by Thursday afternoon.

“We feel the $55 is reasonable when you take into consideration the man hours to develop the lists, let alone to process and put on a CD,” Stevens said.

Somerset and Bedford counties each charge $25 for one disc with the voter data, although Somerset does not charge any candidate requesting the information when they are running for election.

Tina Pritts, Somerset election supervisor, also said that the state, which now has a statewide registry of voters, is charging $20 per county for the same data.

Cambria began charging the $750 fee in the mid-1980s, when a computer system first was set up and a local company created the computer program for Cambria’s voter-registration rolls. Of that, $150 went to the company, with the remainder kept by the county for employee costs in processing the information and for mailing, Smith said.

At that time, computer-data tapes, rather than compact discs, were used.

In questioning Cambria’s price, Singer has pointed to Pennsylvania’s Right to Know Law that requires public records to be made available for the cost of duplication at the prevailing business rates, plus postage.

For Smith, a prevailing “business” rate means what comparable counties are charging.

But Singer said the “business” rate means what businesses are charging locally. According to Singer, Marx Computer Services of Johnstown quoted a price of $5, including materials, to create a copy of a compact disc.

“The law is extremely clear on this. A lot of people are under a misconception that the price is on employee time. The law is crystal clear it’s on prevailing business rates,” she said.

If Cambria doesn’t reduce is $55 fee, Singer said she is prepared to pursue a judicial appeal.

Her company’s Web site says Campaign Scientific collects data, combines the numbers into to easy-to-use databases, and assists clients on how to use the information to strengthen their campaigns. An initial consultation costs $2,000, plus travel expenses, according to the Web site.



Sandra K. Reabuck can be reached at 539-5320 or sreabuck@tribdem.com.

        

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