The city of Woburn is preparing to seek reimbursement from the state for the estimated $54,000 cost it will incur from the special state election for US Senate.
City Clerk William Campbell, a board member of the Massachusetts City Clerks Association, said that State Auditor Joseph DeNucci has determined that the special election is a state mandate, and as a result the state is responsible for reimbursing cities and towns for the full cost of the vote.
Campbell said that in anticipation of the Legislature appropriating funds, cities and towns are beginning to prepare estimates of their costs. He said Woburn’s $54,000 estimate is based on paying poll workers, police officers, and school custodians for their time at the Dec. 8 primary and the Jan. 19 general election.
Mayor Thomas L. McLaughlin recently submitted a $54,000 appropriation request to the City Council to cover the cost. The state funding would be a reimbursement.
John Laidler 
