By Michael Howell
It’s been over a month since Ravalli County Clerk and Recorder Regina Plettenberg volunteered to step in and help oversee the day to day functions of the Treasurer’s office following the placement of Treasurer Valerie Stamey on administrative leave. Plettenberg said on Monday that the office staff – with the help of newly hired Kathy Allard, former Treasurer from Beaverhead County – was ready to start issuing preliminary reports to all the various departments, offices and agencies that have gone without monthly reports since September.
“We don’t have an exact date,” said Plettenberg. “It could be as early as today, but we will get them out this week.” She said the reports are only preliminary and will come with a cover sheet advising the recipients to review the reports carefully and identify any errors or omissions or other mistakes. They are to send those responses directly to the auditor, who is currently at work in the office and a pre-addressed envelope has been included.
“Once those corrections are made we can issue the final reports,” said Plettenberg. She said it should include all the reports due from September through February. “The staff downstairs and in the Finance office worked hard to make this happen.”
Plettenberg said Allard was working hard right now on training the current staff so that they can get through March getting payments out on time and then reconciling on their own. Allard’s temporary position was budgeted for two months. Plettenberg said that Allard planned on being absent for a week at the end of this month so her actual work stint would extend into April.
“That’s a good thing since she will be around when we need to get the personal property and mobile home taxes out,” said Plettenberg.
Plettenberg split her time between her duties as Clerk and Recorder and helping in the Treasurer’s office by holding staff meetings in the morning with each office at which the day’s game plan was outlined. Then she responds to issues, problems and questions as they come up, jogging from one office to the other.
How much longer will that continue?
“I want to help as long as needed to get the office in a position that it can sustain itself and be working well enough that someone could step in and build on something already working,” said Plettenberg.