When the opportunity arose to run for Fillmore County Auditor/Treasurer, the decision was easy for Heidi Jones. Jones, from Ostrander, had been working in the Auditor/Treasurer’s office for 11 years and was ready to throw her hat in the election ring. “A lot of time was invested in it, but it was worth it,” Jones said. A lot of her campaign was spent visiting council meetings at cities and townships around Fillmore County to introduce herself and talk about her goals and plans for the Auditor/Treasurer’s office. “Even if I had not been elected, it was worth it to meet the people,” she commented.
Jones, who also serves on the Ostrander City Council, felt that her years of experience in the Auditor/Treasurer’s office were an asset to the office. “I see that as a huge benefit in the county as opposed to someone completely green coming in off the street,” Jones said, pointing out that it was advantageous to the taxpayers to not have to start from scratch training someone in for the position.
Jones continues to do all of the duties in the office that she was doing before she was elected as well as taking on the administrative role. “It’s a learning process,” she said. “At times it’s a bit overwhelming, but I just take a step back. I prioritize and then move forward.” In addition to adjusting to her new role as Fillmore County Auditor/Treasurer, there have also been some other new staff in the office who needed to be trained in for their new positions as well.
“Everybody learns something new everyday,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what position you’re in.” Between frequent technological and legislative changes, Jones strives to keep up and encourages her staff to do the same. “We all want to grow as individuals so learning new things is good,” she said.
Just a few of the things that Jones and the staff at the Auditor/Treasurer’s office do are calculate property taxes, take care of all the disbursements and collections for Fillmore County, and handle vital statistics and passport administration. Jones is also working at reorganizing things to be more efficient and green. “I’m always looking for ways to save the taxpayers money,” she said. The different departments within the Fillmore County Courthouse are working on consistency across the board, which Jones has been helping with as the auditor/treasurer. “We are all on the same team,” she commented.
Despite all of the changes, the staff in Jones’ department have been taking it all in stride. “The staff that I have here is great, and they have not complained at all about learning new things and taking on new duties,” Jones said, adding that they’re staying positive during this process. Another area that Jones is taking into consideration during this time of growth and change are long term goals for the department. “It’s a really good opportunity to try and figure out what can be changed, what needs to stay the same, and ways we can improve,” she said.
Jones’ first term as Fillmore County Auditor/Treasurer will be up in 2022, but she has long-term goals for the position. She is very aware that what happens in her department impacts everyone in Fillmore County, but also sees it on a personal level. “Those are my tax dollars, my mom’s, my family’s,” she said. “I’m going to make mistakes, but I’m going to take responsibility for those, learn from them and improve from them. I want to continue to do what’s right for the taxpayers. I’m going to do the best that I can.”
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