 - The Fremont County Clerk and Treasurer closed their Riverton office last month to accommodate this year’s countywide budget cuts.){kind=link}
(Riverton, WY) – The Fremont County Clerk and Treasurer closed their Riverton office last month to accommodate this year’s countywide budget cuts.
The Riverton office was previously open one day a week, but when Clerk Julie Freese and Treasurer Jim Anderson each gave up a vacant position as part of this year’s budget process, Freese said they no longer had enough employees to staff the satellite location.
“I know that one day a week doesn’t seem like a lot over there, but it was taking people away from our office (in the) county seat,” she explained. “(And) when we don’t have enough people in Lander … it becomes very hard to make sure our lines aren’t huge.”
‘The new way’
Freese has always prioritized maintaining an office in Riverton when possible, but this year “we had to cut out everything that was not necessary out of our budget,” she said, and the Riverton office was identified as “low-hanging fruit” – even though it was “very busy” on the one day it was open each week.
“It’s super important to me to have a presence (in Riverton) if we can,” she said. “(But) the county seat is the county seat, and we’re going to do our best service … for people over there.”
County budgets might be cut again next year, she noted, so “this might be the new way for a while, unless something changes.”
People who have to travel longer distances to get to the Lander office should call ahead of time to ensure they bring the appropriate documents along, Freese said.
The phone number is (307) 332-2405, and the office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday in Room 220 at 450 N. Second St. in Lander.
New revenue
Freese cut about $71,600 (6 percent) from her budget this year, while Anderson cut about $44,800 (4 percent), according to documents available on Fremont County’s website.
Those totals would have been higher if Freese and Anderson hadn’t been able to incorporate additional revenues into their budgets as well.
For example, Freese said she plans to start charging a fee for access to online land records this year – a move that should generate an additional $40,000 for her office.
“(We’re) one of the few counties that don’t charge for … online services to our land records,” she pointed out. “I’m working through (that) process now.”
For more information about county budgets, click here.