The Neosho County treasurer told commissioners she is requesting roughly a 10% increase in her office budget to cover overtime, training, and staffing shortfalls following unexpected leadership departures during tax season.

The treasurer, identified in the meeting as Speaker 10, said the county lost the treasurer and deputy treasurer at the busiest time of year, which forced other staff to take on extra duties and generated overtime. She said the increased overtime is the primary reason for the budget request and that, if overtime cannot be controlled, she may stop accepting title work after 3:30 p.m. to protect staff capacity.

Speaker 10 said title work is time consuming — especially out-of-state titles and inspections — and asked the commission to permit the office to set a 3:30 p.m. cutoff for title transactions effective in August so customers know when to arrive. She also proposed training for staff on fraudulent-title detection after one recent training led to staff catching three fraudulent titles.

Commissioners discussed public notice for any cutoff and the need to advertise the change on the county website. No final decision was recorded; the treasurer said she would proceed with outreach and return with any necessary operational changes.