Grant County Treasurer Steve Armendariz in his office.

By Margaret Hopper

What makes a county office successful on the job? Steve Armendariz thinks there are many factors that contribute, and people are different, so there isn't a simple answer, but he says he feels his elected position and assignment, the Grant County Treasurer's Office, is functioning well and serving economically. He and his people are meeting local needs and doing the work on time. "We are doing it right."

The needs of all county offices are different, so some mandate from the State, top-down, is not the best way to plan how to serve the public. But it is possible to bring an office to a higher level of service, and he said he has tried to do that for Grant County.

Armendariz said his background has been a big help. As a teenager, his dad partnered with the old Bailey grocery in Bayard; there were plenty of opportunities for him to be useful and fill in the gaps. He helped as a carry-out, bottle-sorter, whatever. He learned that some work was quite visible, while other things didn't show that much, but you did it anyway, because success counted on it.

Meanwhile, at Cobre High, he said he took all the bookkeeping and accounting he could get. Then, in 1972, at WNMU, newly married and nearing graduation, he got his draft notice. Officers' Candidate School was closed for him, but he was advised to try another route, station-of-choice, and he became a personnel specialist. He served with the Third Armored Cavalry at Fort Bliss, Texas, for two-and-a-half years.

From that location he said he could come home on the weekends and work some at the store before going back on Sunday evenings. What he didn't know until later, as he graduated from college, was that he was a single class away from having a double major, accounting, as well as his marketing major. He didn't go back and pick that up; he went on to get his master's degree.

That much-needed extra pay at the grocery opened another opportunity: in time he worked into the partnership and finally owned the store. Over all, he counts 30 years experience at the store. He sold out in 2000 and later worked as a Small Business Development Center counselor; his car-hobby sent him back to work.

Throughout the county, over many years, he used his financial skills in different organizations. His first political position was as a city councilor for Bayard in the early 90s. He started as an appointee for a vacant position, then was elected for a term.

After this experience, he said he helped others in the area with his accounting skills. While he was a finance specialist in the 6th Judicial District, 2009, he said he was phoned by the county treasurer, Alfred Sedillo. He was looking for a chief deputy, as the current deputy resigned to work with Senior Services when Grant County took the Center over. Armendariz was interviewed and decided to do it.

At that time, the county had been having issues, he said, and it chose to try a new countywide reporting system, converting to Tyler Technologies. Since he was coming into the new system, he didn't have problems converting from the old one, Triadic, as he remembers. It was an easy transition for him. He calls Tyler a simple, straight-forward system.

The financial department had taken over bank statement reconciliation and dispersal of county funds, reducing the treasurer's job to that of receiving and receipting income and managing the investment portfolio.

When he was elected in 2012, he thought he saw a number of ways to economize and improve. He then told the county manager that anything the treasurer's office should be doing, he wanted back. He said his office could do it. Under the shared-system with the financial department, there was confusion about who took responsibility for correcting entries and other issues, too.

Retaking the old responsibilities happened when the new county manager took office, recently, and Armendariz said he was glad to have those duties back. The office is fully functioning, as it should, and it is easier. "It's great," he said. By this past January, his office was reconciling bank statements again, keeping track of all that it should be doing.

As in every industry, a concern is getting and keeping qualified personnel. The County sets salaries and some seem out of relationship to the work. Some of the issues may be a result of past collective bargaining agreements, he said. The County is trying to save money, but there is a need to respect and value quality people. Most of the salaries aren't enough to attract qualified new people, so keeping the best would be a real economy. Some are worth more than they get, and a salary increase would save money in the long run. Training, itself, is expensive, and good workers already in the office should not have to go somewhere else to get what they need.

Staff training is important, too. Armendariz says his staff, Liz Hernandez, first deputy, Vangie Gonzales, second, and Alfred Sedillo, chief deputy, have all been very sensitive to citizen needs and they routinely help people with paperwork, even if it goes to a related office instead of theirs. Ted Martinez, Solid Waste Clerk, is in the same office, and while that is a somewhat different department, he, too, helps at the Treasurer's Office, as needed.

Staff workers continue to improve skills. He says the state offers classes for many county employees. He encourages his staff to get the additional training and become more professional. Part of management is placing staff where it will grow, in the areas where natural talents would fit the local needs. He looks to see where improvements can be developed in those on the job. Changing some duties and even some systems may make a more efficient office, he thinks. At the same time, union contracts have to be honored and followed.

He says he and the staff have been working under the new Tyler system almost six years, now. Each person in the office has found ways to use the system more efficiently. A major benefit is that Tyler Technologies has been willing to assist his office with issues as they arise, and at times it has developed ways to use those ideas with all its clients. Those suggestions and requests that software users bring to the company can be used by others, too. He says that Tyler is constantly improving its offerings and he receives upgrades to download, on a regular basis.

A positive change at state level is some recent legislation that allows taxpayers to get their Notice of Value (NOV) and Tax Bills online and by email. The New Mexico Association of County Assessors and Treasurers Affiliates asked for that and legislators responded. Now taxpayers can do most transactions “online”, including payment histories, account payments and inquiries, property descriptions and more. This is especially beneficial to property owners who are in other parts of the world, he said.

The Treasurer's Office wants to give the best service to all taxpayers; improved communications would make this easier to do. Many taxpayers just don't think about calling the Assessor's Office to update their information, such as address changes or when they fail to receive the NOV in April of each year. That notice should be reviewed carefully. A quick call could correct information on the Assessor's Tax Rolls, preventing problems with the Treasurer's Office later, but people tend to ignore it. The protest period is only 30 days; after that, it is too late for any changes that year, he notes.

Some of the points he advises people to check include the current value and possible exemptions, which may include Head of Household, Veteran status and Valuation restrictions. By the time a property owner sees the increase on a tax bill, it can't be fixed any time soon. Even worse is not receiving the NOV or a tax bill. That indicates something is wrong; letting these notices “ride” could lead to losing that property.

When the Treasurer's Office loses contact with an owner, the taxes are still due and penalties are added. After two or three years, his office has to track down those whose land is being turned over to the State of New Mexico Property Tax Division. That is state statute. “Just because they did a change of address at the post office does not guarantee their tax bills will be forwarded to their new address,” says Armendariz. People must read that Novice of Value and start calling if something is not correct.

Some state statutes he mentioned were Statute 7-38-7, stating all properties being taxed would be valued as of January 1 of that year, and Statute 7-38-47, which states that property taxes are personal obligations of property owners. Selling or transferring a property still leaves the owner personally liable for the taxes owed that year, as the law does not say that taxes must be paid before property can be conveyed. The owner remains liable for his part.

Armendariz said the county clerk records documents, but does not verify tax information. When title companies are used, there are rarely any issues, but individuals who don't use a title company may have problems. New Mexico legislators have not dealt with this at the state level, but he thinks it is possible to establish a county policy for conveyance of properties. These problems could be eliminated.

Part of giving service includes helping people who want to apply for exemptions do so. Some find the process of filling out the papers difficult. Citizens who need the help can ask for information and assistance most of the time. It takes a little time, so it is better to ask during the off-season rather than when bills are being paid and lines of people all want attention.

As tax monies are collected mainly in November/December and May/June, Armendariz said managing the money has to do with sending those deposits to the state, and keeping money coming in at the right times. It is invested to mature during the 'lean' months like February, March and April, or July, August and September. The state has the LGIP, or Local Government Investment Pool. It works like money market accounts, gaining a small bit of interest, and having these funds mature during the tight periods, as the County spends funds every month, not just when taxes are paid.

The county treasurer can call for the county's funds at the State Treasurer's Office and expect to receive that amount within hours. The transfer then goes into the General Fund. Any excess in that investment could be reinvested in the same way, back into the LGIP, to mature at another low-income period in the future.

The Treasurer admits he likes the work he is doing and the staff he presently has. Everyone works to keep the office running well and to improving its operation. Taxpayers should be proud of the efficient way the office is run. Tax collections are timely, bills are properly paid, and the work is at a quality level. He smiles with satisfaction that his office is doing everything it should, and doing it all very smoothly.