Sec. 31.100.  DISPOSITION OF CONTRACT MONEY;  PAYMENT OF CONTRACTING OFFICER'S EXPENSES.  (a)  Money paid to a county election officer under an election services contract shall be deposited in a separate fund in the county treasury.  The county election officer may make expenditures from the fund without budgeting or appropriation by the commissioners court.  However, claims against the fund shall be audited and approved in the same manner as other claims against the county before they are paid.
(b)  Only actual expenses directly attributable to an election services contract may be paid from the election services contract fund, and the county election officer may not charge for performing any duties that the officer is required by law to perform.
(c)  An election services contract must include an itemized list of estimated election expenses.  If the estimated expenses, not including the fee charged under Subsection (d), exceed the actual expenses, the amount of the difference shall be refunded to the contracting authority.
(d)  The county election officer may not be personally compensated for election services performed under an election services contract.  A fee charged by the officer for general supervision of the election may not exceed 10 percent of the total amount of the contract, but may not be less than $75.
(e)  Salaries of personnel regularly employed by the county election officer shall be paid from funds regularly budgeted and appropriated for that purpose, except that those employees may be paid from the election services contract fund for contractual duties performed outside of normal business hours.  Salaries and wages paid to persons temporarily employed to perform duties under an election services contract shall be paid out of the election services contract fund. The amount paid from the fund may not exceed the normal rate of pay in that locality for the same or similar services.
(f)  A surplus in the election services contract fund may be used only to defray expenses of the county election officer's office in connection with election-related duties or functions.  The secretary of state shall prescribe regulations for the use of any surplus in a fund.
(g)  The commissioners court may not consider the availability of the election services contract fund in adopting the county budget for the office of the county election officer.
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986.  Amended by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 622, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1991;  Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1349, Sec. 7, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.