Commission gets it right with finance officer

There have been times in this space where we have taken issue with moves made by the Custer County Commission, but we also give credit where it is due, and the commission has made what is, in our opinion, the right choice in creating a county finance officer position that will oversee both the auditor and treasurer office in the courthouse.
We have long wondered why the office of treasurer and auditor, in particular the auditor, is an elected position. It is a very complicated job that requires expertise in a variety of fields, including accounting and elections. Why should just anyone who can win what amounts to a popularity contest be allowed to be auditor? Literally anyone, regardless of qualifications, could seek and win the office of auditor. It doesn’t matter if the person can do the job, all they have to do is win the election. That seems wrong.
There is no way for the county citizens to know if a person running for auditor is up to the task. This is not to throw either of our past auditors under the bus, but the county has had problems with its accounting for the better part of a decade now. Ever since the retirement of former auditor Linda Nelson the office has been in turmoil. The auditor who followed her worked under her for years and seemed like a logical choice to succeed her, but many problems arose and it wasn’t long before that auditor resigned. We’re sure it was suggested she do so.
The most recent auditor, Terri Cornelison, stepped into the job from the Department of Equalization and attempted to clean up the mess left by her predecessor, but it didn’t happen. She seemingly was put in an impossible situation that continued to snowball out of control. After the resignation the commission decided it had seen enough, and began the task of creating the finance officer position to oversee the treasurer and auditor offices.
While the finance officer position will be an elected position (starting next year) that has a four-year term, this change will also allow for a chief deputy auditor and treasurer (or something like that, these aren’t official titles) that can be interviewed and can be vetted to make sure they can do the job in their respective office and do it correctly. This should help clear up all the confusion and errors that have been made over the past few years. We don’t elect our surgeons and we don’t elect our engineers. There are just some jobs that need certain qualifcations be met. We believe auditor and treasurer are two of those positions.
It’s not any one person’s fault that the auditor’s office spiraled out of control, and we know the people who have worked and continue to work in that office did or are doing the best they could. This new position and some interviews for open positions in those offices should go a long way to getting the county back on track.
We applaud the commission for pulling the trigger on this decision. It’s vitally important taxpayers know where their money is and where it is going. This is a step in the right direction to accomplishing that goal.

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