Miami County to study Treasurer’s office security and space options; quick partition considered

Miami County commissioners directed staff on Feb. 26 to start a preliminary study of the Treasurer’s office layout and security after Treasurer Trisha Lee described repeated incidents and threats against staff.

The study will focus first on whether the existing First Floor suite can accommodate motor-vehicle processing, tax collections and driver’s-license services and on short-term security measures such as a protective partition across the public counter. The county will pursue a phased approach that could begin with an in-house partition if that would reduce risk quickly.

Why it matters: Commissioners said resolving the safety and queueing issues quickly could reduce staff exposure and improve public service flow. The Treasurer’s office handles significant cash and high-volume customer transactions during months when taxes and vehicle registrations peak.

County staff framed the work as three phases: (1) a preliminary planning and concept study to determine whether the First Floor can absorb the additional functions and to identify security upgrades; (2) design and bid documents if the work proceeds; and (3) construction-phase services. Shane, a county staff member coordinating the project, told commissioners the first phase would generate cost estimates and options to inform decisions about design and whether to reallocate space in the building.

"There wasn't enough room to put us all back together and get customers in the office," Treasurer Trisha Lee said of earlier reviews of the office footprint. She told the commission that staff have received threats and that panic buttons and sheriff visits have not eliminated safety concerns: "You can really tell, like, the customers that just get very, very agitated, and you don't know how far they're gonna go. We've had threats. One of my staff got threatened to be choked."

Jim Starling, the county’s building and grounds director, said a quick, interim partition might be feasible. "We went through this last year, took the footprint of the office area, laid it out with her total count of people she had. There's just not enough space. You can't fit it," Starling said, adding the county will evaluate secure materials and anchoring required for a glass or glazing solution.

Commissioners emphasized starting with the first-phase analysis. "The first bullet point under scope 1 makes the most sense to start with," said Commissioner Bond, who noted the current queuing system has reduced lobby congestion. Commissioners asked staff to bring a plan back in roughly three weeks for additional discussion.

What was decided and next steps: Commissioners authorized staff to proceed with the phase-1 assessment and asked Starling to evaluate an in-house partition or other quick security measures and return with options at the next meeting. If a partition solution exceeds $25,000, county procurement rules will require competitive bidding.

No construction contract or final funding was approved during the study session. The discussion also flagged training and law-enforcement coordination as parallel steps; Sheriff Kelly and county staff have discussed increased patrol presence, and the Treasurer’s office has received de-escalation training in the past.

Commissioners indicated they prefer an objective outside assessment if the scope reaches full design, but they also asked staff to pursue immediate, lower-cost measures where feasible to reduce risk while a longer-term plan is developed.