Dora Hartig files for a sixth term
After almost 28 years of working in the Lyon County Treasurer’s office, Treasurer Dora Hartig is ready to go for 32.
Hartig, a Democrat who has served five four-year terms as county treasurer, filed her candidacy by petition Tuesday afternoon in the Lyon County Clerk’s office.
“I just truly enjoy the work,” she said of her reason for running for re-election. “I like all the aspects of the job, working with the accounting part of it, and just working with the public.”
Hartig already had worked for then-treasurer Lula Hunt for eight years before she first ran for treasurer.
“She was a great mentor,” Hartig said. “She worked with me for eight years to train me for this job.”
When Hartig took office, there were seven employees on the tax-collection side and four in the motor-vehicle division, which operates under the treasurer’s umbrella. Additional part-time workers came in as needed at busy times.
Since the move to the new courthouse, and the honing of technology, Hartig has decreased the number of employees needed in her department to three on the tax side and four in motor vehicle. Part of that was accomplished by cross-training employees in both areas. In December, Hartig said, motor vehicle employees come in to help with the property-tax-paying rush.
“The end of each month, when they are so terribly busy, I’ve got two girls on the tax side that can help them out,” she said. “... It’s been amazing. The service is much quicker, much more efficient.”
She counts that as a major accomplishment during her time as treasurer, and considers assembling a good staff as another plus.
“They’re just an excellent group of people that work for me,” she said. “Years and years of experience ... They’re just extremely qualified and a very good staff. It makes my job a lot easier.”
Technological improvements also have made service better and faster in both the taxing office and the motor-vehicle division. Instead of printing out a five-part property tax statement and standing in line while payments were recorded, the office has gone to a one-sheet system.
“Now, with the punch of a key, you’ve got a single sheet that automatically prints out, tells you everything about that taxing unit, the tax, the real estate amount,” she said. “Technology is wonderful.”
Hartig said she has used other technology to make additional improvements in services from both the taxing and motor vehicle sides. Both offices now are able to take credit card payments.
Vehicle-owners can go on-line to pay their taxes and register their cars, trucks and motorcycles, then pay with a credit card.
The treasurer’s tax collections have not yet reached that degree of ease, though Hartig wants to make online property tax payments possible soon.
“At this point in time, they have to come in the office to use their credit card, but hopefully in the future they’ll be able to go online and use their credit card, which would certainly be an asset,” Hartig said. “It would save a lot of people having to come to the courthouse.”
Developing those time-saving and convenient options for dealing with a county government department — part of being a good public servant, she said — is an important part of her job as treasurer. Taking proper care of money, however, comes first.
“In my eyes, the major thing is to make sure that the monies are collected, handled properly and distributed back out to the districts so that they can fulfill the budget,” she said. “That would have to be the major function of the office.”
Hartig will know soon whether her petition for office is valid.
Based on voter numbers from the last election, she needs 142 “good names” on the petition to validate the filing. The names will be checked in the office of County Clerk Karen Hartenbower.
“I’m not sure how long it takes to check them, but it’s turned in,” Hartig said.
She and her husband, Melvin, have been married 40 years and are the parents of four children and 12 grandchildren.