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Polk County treasurer seeks control of tax transfers, asks commissioners to review investment policy
Summary
At the March 19 Polk County Board of Commissioners meeting the county treasurer said she is being trained to perform monthly transfers of property-tax receipts and urged a review of the countyinvestment policy; commissioners approved routine items and voted to enter executive session under ORS 192.660(2)(f).
Polk County Treasurer told the Board of Commissioners on March 19 that she is taking steps to assume responsibility for preparing monthly reports and making transfers of property-tax receipts to taxing districts, and she urged the board to review the countyinvestment policy.
The treasurer said she has been working with Caitlin, the county tax collector, and that she will "actually do and prepare the report and, get access so that I can actually do the transfers." She added that she will continue learning the processes she says she should have been trained on years earlier.
The exchange grew into a broader discussion about who is the countycustodian of trust funds. The treasurer told commissioners that Polk County budget documents and the county's GRAMA summary language identify the treasurer as custodian of trust funds and questioned the need for a separate custodial-officer resolution, referring to "Resolution 1603." The treasurer said that roughly "$181,000,000" moves through accounts currently handled by staff she identified as Caitlin and that those receipts are the treasurer's responsibility to record, deposit and distribute.
Commissioners responded that inclusion of the treasurer's report on the regular meeting agenda was a board decision intended to give the treasurer an opportunity to report to the board. One commissioner told the treasurer, "We're trying to make certain that we have an opportunity for you to tell us how the job's going." The treasurer said she will continue to work with Caitlin on training and transfers and "I'll be back next month according to your agenda."
On investment policy, the treasurer said the county invests under a local government investment policy adopted by the board but suggested an overview or review, saying the policy "was put in place by the commissioners" a long time ago and that she may approach the board with suggested changes to ensure compliance with state statute.
The treasurer and commissioners also discussed the division of responsibilities among the treasurer, the tax collector and county finance staff. The treasurer described the tax collectorrole as receiving tax receipts and providing them to the treasurer to record and distribute. She said she is being trained to perform those duties and to prepare taxing-district reports posted on the county finance and tax web page, which she said were currently produced in the finance office but belong under the treasurer's purview.
Votes at a glance - Approval of the agenda: motion moved and seconded; unanimous approval (all commissioners present voted aye). - Approval of the minutes of March 12: motion moved and seconded; unanimous approval (all commissioners present voted aye). - Approval of the consent calendar: motion moved and seconded; unanimous approval (all commissioners present voted aye). - Motion to meet in executive session pursuant to ORS 192.660(2)(f) to consider records exempt from public inspection: motion announced and the board moved to executive session.
The board announced it would meet in executive session under ORS 192.660(2)(f) to consider information or records exempt from public inspection, and the public portion of the meeting ended shortly thereafter.
The transcript records a pointed back-and-forth but no formal change to county policy during the public meeting; the treasurer said she will pursue training and system access and may request an investment-policy review from the board in a future meeting.
