Outgoing ROV Curtis wants a new building and in-house printing. His likely successor says Shasta should budget for Measure B

This Tuesday, during the first of three days of Shasta County budget hearings, Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis acknowledged his loss at the polls as he presented his budget request. 

Curtis began his presentation by saying he was “not happy” with the outcome of the recent election, a casual reference to the apparent success of his campaign opponent, former Assistant ROV Joanna Francescut, who is poised to beat Curtis with more than 58% of the vote.

Despite her likely victory, Curtis will still be responsible for administering the November 2026 election as he finishes out the remainder of his term. Francescut would take over subsequent elections for the next four years. 

Curtis continued to propose big program changes for the upcoming 2026-27 fiscal year despite his lame duck status. He said he hopes to upgrade to a larger, leased facility and implement an in-house ballot printing system. 

His budget request totals to nearly $5.4 million, an increase of almost a million dollars as compared to the previous year. But nothing in the request mentions new costs associated with the implementation of Measure B, a controversial election initiative that’s poised to become law later this month. 

That’s something Francescut said should be prioritized.

How does Curtis want to spend? And what does Francescut say?

Curtis’ presentation was big on vision but light on financial details. His overall fund request mentioned a number of high-budget items without clarifying the specific costs of each. 

Curtis’ first priority is leasing a new building space. He said he hopes doing so will solve problems at the current facility, such as a lack of parking and issues with ADA access. He also mentioned that the larger space would address “difficulties performing other operational requirements” but did not explain what he meant by the term.

It’s not the first time he’s brought forward the idea to move. During last year’s budget hearing, Curtis made a similar request, asking the board for $2.6 million to fund the same building he’s pitching this time, the former Joann Fabrics on Dana Drive, along with equipment for ballot filming. 

Last year’s plea was denied but it’s not yet clear whether the board will approve Curtis’ request this time. Budget hearings are a multi-day process that involve presentations from all departments before an extended discussion period by the board. That discussion and decision-making period are likely to occur this afternoon. 

For this year’s budget proposal, Curtis said he estimates lease costs of the Joann Fabrics building at $340,000 a year without mentioning any needed improvements. Last year he estimated a cost of $400,000 annually plus an additional $1.2 million to make improvements. 

Curtis suggested to supervisors that Shasta’s likely new ROV, Francescut, supported his vision to relocate, saying “my successor has wanted the same building, so it’s not just me asking.”

Francescut clarified in a message to Shasta Scout Tuesday that she has not spoken to Curtis about the idea of leasing the building on Dana Street, adding that while the opportunity to relocate would be wonderful, the timing and location should be carefully evaluated to avoid a rushed process or multiple moves.  

Francescut also noted that Curtis’ budget pitch does not include costs of retrofitting a leased space, as well as the costs of relocating office equipment, supplies and staff. 

When it came to Curtis’ request to fund an in-house printing system, financial details were also in short supply. He estimated costs in the short-run could total around $946,000, but did not explain where this figure came from, or what the process for setting up printing systems would entail. According to Curtis, the system would pay for itself after three election cycles.

Asked by Supervisor Matt Plummer during the meeting what California counties are currently conducting in-house printing, Curtis pointed to Los Angeles County. Shasta Scout could not confirm whether L.A. County — or any California county — prints ballots in-house, though California law does state that counties are legally allowed to operate their own ballot-printing systems if approved by the Secretary of State.

In messages to a reporter, Francescut shared concern about the idea of in-house printing,  saying staff are already over-allocated during the lead-up to elections when printing deadlines occur. She also questioned why Curtis recently requested the board sign a contract with Runbeck Election Services for ballot printing and mailing services that would expire in December 2031 if he doesn’t intend to use those services.

Most importantly, Francescut said, Curtis’ budget request made no mention of costs associated with Measure B, which will require Shasta to implement hand counting at each precinct and maintain a separate voter roll from the state.

“These changes will require additional resources to implement,” Francescut said, “and outreach costs to explain the changes to voters.” 

Curtis did not respond to a request for comment sent yesterday. 

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