Politics & Government

Clerk-Treasurer Office Adds Extra Staff in Response To Election Changes

The Greendale Clerk-Treasurer office has been overwhelmed with the amount of work past few years and the changes in election laws has only made it worse.

The Clerk-Treasurer’s office will be getting a much-needed additional fulltime employee after staff made a case to the Greendale Board of Trustees.

The board approved the additional staff member 6 to 1 with Carl Genz voting against it on Tuesday. 

Over the past few years the Clerk-Treasurer’s Office has found it increasingly difficult to administer elections and perform accounting duties, especially with the constant changes in the election laws and procedures.

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The addition of three tax incremental financing districts has also increased the accounting workload.

The Clerk-Treasurer’s office has tried to relieve the workload by outsourcing the utility bill processing, purchasing new financial software and using temporary staff. Some duties were taken over by the new Assistant to the Village Manager. However, this has not helped the workload by much. Clerk-Treasurer Kathy Kasza said she spends too much time training the two-week temps and covering for her deputy when she's gone. 

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Since 2000 that department has eliminated one and half positions.

Kasza currently has a Deputy Clerk-Treasurer. With the addition of a staff member the Deputy Clerk-Treasurer position would be split into Deputy Clerk and Deputy Treasurer. 

By eliminating the position of Deputy Clerk-Treasurer and creating the positions of Deputy Clerk and Deputy Treasurer, the Village will increase the cost of operations in the Clerk-Treasurer’s office by approximately $85,000 per year, inlcudes benefits.

Salary Ranges:

Position Minimum Mid-Point Maximum Deputy Clerk-Treasurer $48,131 $53,478 $58,827 Deputy Clerk $50,817 $56,464 $62,110 Deputy Treasurer $44,866 $49,850 $54836

 

 

Genz voted against the additional staffer because he said that it was a permanent solution to a temporary solution, referring to the elections. 

Village Manager Todd Michaels said he feel so strongly about this position that he would be willing to give up a position in the Department of Public Works to help finance it. 

Kasza said that election could get more complicated down the road. This year there were six elections and next year there could be four if Paul Ryan gets elected Vice President.  She also pointed out that the media is watching municipalities closely during election time.

“You don’t want to be the next Waukesha County,” Kasza said.

The current deputy clerk-treasurer will become deputy clerk and the new position will be deputy treasurer. The Village will be looking for someone with an accounting or finance background.

 


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