How the 2 candidates for Polk County treasurer plan to reduce wait times at the office
Two candidates are running for the Democratic Party's nomination for Polk County treasurer.
The winner of the primary will likely go on to an easy election this fall. No Republican has announced their candidacy.
The two candidates are Chris Cutler, a government accountant at the Polk County's Auditor's Office, and Mary Wells, who was appointed treasurer last year after Mary Maloney, who was serving her seventh term, died unexpectedly.
Early voting for the June 7 primary begins May 18. Here's how you can vote in Iowa.
To help voters, the Des Moines Register sent surveys to every candidate in a local competitive primary. The candidate responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity. Candidates appear in alphabetical order by last name.
Vote: Early voting for Iowa's 2022 primary election begins soon. Here's what you need to know
Who are the candidates for Polk County treasurer?
Chris Cutler
Age: 34
Town of residence: Des Moines
Party affiliation: Democrat
Education: Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Finance and Accounting
Occupation: Polk County Auditor’s Office - Government Accountant
Previous elected offices held: none
Major civic activities: City of Des Moines – Planning and Zoning Commission. Served the citizens of Polk County, Iowa for over 10 years. Current Audit Chairman for the Polk County Credit Union Board where I have served 4 terms.
Mary Wells
Age: 57
Town of residence: Des Moines
Party affiliation: Democrat
Education: Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, management major, cum laude, Upper Iowa University
Occupation: Polk County Treasurer
Previous elected offices held: None
Major civic activities: Investing In My Future, Inc., Co-Founder & President; Army veteran; Corinthian Baptist Church member; NAACP member; CWA Local 7102, former member; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., member; Foster/adoptive parent; Lower Beaver Neighborhood Association, member
Describe the key differences between you and your opponent.
Culter: My whole career has been dedicated to serving the residents of Polk County. I served many years under the late County Treasurer Mary Maloney and have worked in several divisions of the Treasurer’s Office. My departmental knowledge, financial literacy and uncontested leadership will vastly improve the services provided to the public. I have an extensive background in motor vehicle law and property tax law which will assist in streamlining processes and procedures for our taxpayers. I know the job and have done the work. If you’re tired of waiting 3 hours to do a simple transaction at the treasurer’s office, vote Cutler on June 7.
Wells: Quite simply, my 30-plus years of operations management experience distinguishes me from my opponent. I’ve managed billion-dollar budgets and investment portfolios and led high-performing teams in the military, public, private, and non-profit sectors. While the Treasurer’s office handles money, it‘s much more than dollars and cents on a budget or spreadsheet. It requires a leader with broad-based experience to provide the service Polk County residents deserve and to be an effective steward of our public funds. I’ve capably done the job since the supervisors unanimously appointed me. Quite frankly relevant and proven experience matters.
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The county treasurer oversees two main functions, property taxes and vehicle registration. How are those departments working now and what changes would you seek to implement if elected?
Culter: Unfortunately, both the vehicle and tax divisions are operating at an all-time low. This is due to flawed training practices, employee turnover and years of institutional knowledge that has left the department to seek other jobs. If you visit the treasurer’s office and have both a motor vehicle and property tax transaction, you will be required to take two tickets. When you complete your property tax transaction, you will then have to wait again to complete your vehicle transaction. I know how to fix the problem because I have done it. I look forward to getting this office back on track by creating a public service department that is not an inconvenience to the taxpayers.
Wells: The treasurer’s office includes four main areas, property tax, vehicle registration, cash management, and investments. The four areas are working smoothly due to the dedicated and talented staff in the office who have suggested and embraced innovations to improve our service delivery during the pandemic. Some of the changes to implement when I’m elected include updating communications to be in other languages besides English, upgrading the phone system, and implementing Qualtrics, a survey system for timely feedback about our service and operations from citizens and employees.
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Last year, wait times at the treasurer’s office exceeded five hours – in large parts due to the COVID-19 pandemic and workforce shortages. How will you go about ensuring shorter wait times?
Culter: Wait times are still nearly two to three hours. I will implement a proven training strategy to give the employees the tools and knowledge needed to better serve the public in a more efficient manner. I plan to increase training to decrease customer wait times, which is the opposite of what is currently happening. The interim treasurer also closes the office every third Thursday of the month for meetings. We are a public office that is here to serve our taxpayers and should not close the office during regular business hours. I promise to keep the Treasurer’s Office operating during all regular business hours throughout the week.
Wells: We’ve made significant improvements already to wait times! Including:
Shorter appointment wait times, from 90 minutes to an average of five minutes.
Faster email response times, from over two weeks to just 24 hours.
Briefer phone wait times, from over two hours to an average of 19 minutes.
While residents are welcome to walk in, we encourage them to make appointments at times that work best for their schedules. We continue to review and refine our operations using real-time data. We’ve filled staff vacancies and trained using a standardized program that decreased training time by 50%.
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What other changes would you like to make to modernize the office?
Culter: I would like to make our online system more user-friendly to the public. Utilizing technology to streamline processes for our users and promote self-serve modules will be beneficial to all residents. This will reduce in-person office visits, decrease customer wait times and provide convenient services to the taxpayers of Polk County.
Wells: We updated our queueing system with Spanish and will update communications to other languages. We will infuse LEAN process improvement principles into our daily operations and continue our community outreach to educate citizens about the Treasurer’s office and get their feedback on how we can improve our service. Provide staff with training and development opportunities to enhance their skills and knowledge to better serve the citizens of Polk County. Leverage technology to automate components of the annual property tax sale to streamline the process for participants. Continue to enhance the website for citizens who prefer to interact with us online.
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified Mary Wells' age. She is 57. An earlier version of the headline appearing in some locations misidentified the office the candidates are seeking. They are competing for the nomination for county treasurer.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Chris Cutler and Mary Wells are running for Polk County treasurer
