By Eric Stock

BLOOMINGTON – McLean County officials are exploring whether the county could save money by merging election operations with Bloomington, even though the county lacks the authority to make such a move.

“I want all our County Board members to sit down and take a good look at it and just bring us up to speed,” County Board Chairman John McIntyre said. “We think there would be some savings.”

McIntyre said he believes voters are inconvenienced by having two election offices, one for Bloomington and one for everyone else run by the county clerk’s office.

“That’s not an advantage. The advantage would be to have one election commission,” MyIntyre said.

It would take a voter petition to get a referendum placed on the ballot for that to happen. County administrator Bill Wasson said the county could also urge the state legislature to make it legal for the two election bodies to consolidate on their own.

The county is looking to trim its budget with possibly up to 20 jobs being cut, though they say any election consolidation effort wouldn’t help them for the 2018 budget.

Nine county workers have accepted early retirement since the county made the offer last month.

Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].