Park County treasurer explains office duties, warns counties face costs from state motor-vehicle contract

Park County Treasurer Kevin Larkin used a Tuesday work session to outline the treasurer’s office duties, explain recent changes in tax and title administration and raise concerns about a proposed state contract that would shift motor-vehicle system costs and responsibilities to counties.

Larkin, who said he has served as Park County treasurer since his 2005 appointment, told the county commissioners and staff that the treasurer’s office collects funds for the county and other local entities, maintains deposit accounting for dozens of separate funds and produces monthly disbursements to cities, school districts and state agencies. “We are responsible for collecting the county’s money and holding it safe and guarding it,” Larkin said during the April 15 work session.

The issue carries operational and financial weight because the treasurer’s office handles property-tax billing, mobile-home taxes, motor-vehicle titles and daily cashiering. Larkin said changes at the state level — including a new motor-vehicle software rollout and a state-drafted contract — already have required local IT upgrades and may leave counties…