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The recent Northern Wells remodeling project remonstrance quickly thrust a new county office holder into the spotlight.
County Auditor Laura Brubaker had been in office just three weeks when opposing sides submitted their final petitions on the Jan. 22 deadline.
Brubaker certified the results last Friday, Feb. 9, delivering the news to Northern Wells officials that the opposition to the project had submitted more verified signatures than those in favor of the project as it was presented.
In a pair of recent interviews, Brubaker talked with The News-Banner about the remonstrance verification project and her first six weeks in office.
“What a project,” she said Thursday. “We put in a lot of hours to get that accomplished.”
The Auditor’s Office had spent the better part of three weeks reviewing signatures on both the yellow petitions for the project and the blue petitions against the project.
More than 3,500 people “voted” on the project by signing one or the other of the competing petitions. The number of people who participated impressed Brubaker.
“I knew it was coming. My surprise was the public’s response. I was just so pleased with that,” said Brubaker before the results were tallied.
“These people really care about their school and their area, whether they’re for or against. That was very nice to see that. I didn’t expect it to be that many.”
The office used a three-step process in verifying that the signatures were valid owners of property in the Northern Wells Community Schools district.
The process included verifying names on the tax system in the Auditor’s Office, checking plat books and the deeds in the Recorder’s Office, and in checking with the bond counsel, Ice Miller in Indianapolis, about detailed questions regarding validity of names that had “minor variations” in relation to the property deeds.
“I was very pleased with the progress that we had,” said Brubaker.
The new auditor also received some early help from her predecessor, former County Auditor Mary Towne, who was working on a volunteer basis to help with the county’s extensive annual financial report for 2006.
Towne also offered to help as final petitions were receipted in on the deadline.
“She wanted to be here on the deadline day,” said Brubaker. “She knew it was a big deal and she want to be there for us,” said Brubaker.
Towne recently accepted a position as a WIC Intake Specialist for the Community & Family Services program. She works out of both the Bluffton and Hartford City offices.
The remonstrance verification was spread out among Auditor’s Office employees and involved some evening and weekend work, Brubaker noted.
The office had 15 business days to complete the tally and certify results to the school system.
The results were delivered Friday, Feb. 9. Brubaker could have taken through the end of the day on Monday, Feb. 12.
After six weeks on the job, the new auditor continues to learn something new every day.
“I love it. I’m enjoying it. I feel like I can’t do enough,” said Brubaker, who talked about her experience so far.
“The first surprise, I would have to say, would be the amount of time that’s taxed on your thoughts,” she said.
Her mind never stopped racing during the busy campaign season, but she has found even more to focus on since taking office.
“You think at some point you’re going to come in and that’s going to slow down and it actually speeds up,” said Brubaker.
To keep up with the many ideas, goals and tasks that pop up in her mind day and night, she is keeping four notepads nearby throughout her day — one each in her purse, van, bathroom at home and beside her bed.
“That was a surprise. Your mind just doesn’t stop,” she said.
Brubaker is using a team concept in working with her staff of four full-time deputy auditors and one part-time employee.
Brubaker knows the question has been posed whether there is a need for a fifth full-time deputy.
“I don’t see that at this point. I feel the part-time deputy definitely needs to be 30 hours, no less, and that will fill that need, at this time,” she said.
The staff and their focus areas include:
• Kathie Mounsey, property tax settlement and distribution, and excise tax.
• Marty Tschannen, claims payments and surplus tax.
• Jane Bradley, property deeds, including splits, personal property, mobile homes.
• Deb Snider, payroll and training.
• Part-time worker Lisa Eichler, who is learning the role of the drainage funds bookkeeping and handling clerical tasks with counter traffic and on the phones.
“Everyone’s been very forgiving if I forget something. It’s been a very positive” experience, the new auditor said.
Brubaker said she wanted to talk about “the past negative relationship with the treasurer and the auditor, or maybe miscommunications. I am finding that’s what it seems to have been about.”
The two offices have worked hard at improving communications.
If people start to focus on the past, “We just keep saying no, new year, new office holder, team concept. There is some past hurt there between the two (offices), but it’s looking very good,” said Brubaker.
The new auditor and Treasurer Rinda Vaughn have been holding meetings and asking questions.
Brubaker said she told Vaughn that “I was willing to do anything and everything that I could . . . We have to work together. It’s like family, you don’t always get along but family’s family,” she said.
Brubaker has stressed that she wants her staff to keep taxpayers first in their minds.
“If we can all remember that and focus on that one thing, it’s going to be all right,” she said.
“I want to make sure that the public knew that, that we’re not up here bickering. We’re actually working together,” said Brubaker.
“The communication is everything,” she said.
Brubaker has a goal of moving the office to use of digital imaging.
“We have a lot of paper,” she said, pointing to more than 25,000 pieces of paper in just the homestead exemptions alone.
After talking with other counties on their experiences with the topic, she has spoken with representatives of three companies regarding digital imaging and hopes to move forward with improvements.
Brubaker has been impressed with the roles played by the Board of County Commissioners and Wells County Council as she has worked with those boards as their secretary.
“I just really look up to them. They’ve got some pretty big decisions,” she said.
She commended the “great leadership” in both the county and the city.
Brubaker also has been very pleased with the recent offer of County Clerk Beth Davis to use IV-D reimbursement funds that she controls to purchase new work stations for employees in the Auditor’s Office.
Brubaker said was talking with Davis’ sister, Courthouse Custodian Bobbie Studebaker, about the aging furniture in the Auditor’s Office.
Several of the desks have broken drawers and desk legs, and Brubaker had been scrounging in the Courthouse for used equipment to improve the situation.
Studebaker mentioned it to Davis, who made the offer. “I almost cried,” said Brubaker.
gfrank@news-banner.com
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