Recall costs for Brookfield, Elm Grove look to be more than $100,000

More than $100,000 in unbudgeted money will be spent on the gubernatorial recall in Brookfield and Elm Grove. While some saw the election as a foregone conclusion a year ago, there was no guarantee that the effort would gain the necessary signatures or that a primary would be needed.

For Brookfield Clerk Kelly Michaels, that means having to reconcile her costs at the end of the year with contingency funds. She said the April election cost the city about $46,000 before factoring in a few costs like overtime hours.

The May 8 recall primary will be a similar cost, Michaels said, while the June election could require more because there will be a need for more staff to be available to handle what is likely to be a high turnout.

In Elm Grove, the costs are considerably lower, but also fall within a much smaller community. Clerk Mary Strendi estimated the cost to the village to be about $2,600 for each election since the county pays for some costs like programming the ballot boxes.