Conference gives official fresh ideas
County treasurer returns with useful information, new perspective
Staff reporter
Marion County Treasurer Jeannine Bateman recently returned from a national convention with new ideas and perspective.
"What I liked the most about the convention was meeting other officials who have positive attitudes about their jobs," said Bateman. She said it was good to see public servants who weren't jaded.
The annual National Association of Counties convention was held July 15-19 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
During the conference, Bateman attended seminars that provided information about new bankruptcy laws, strategic planning, and employee performance evaluations.
"It was interesting to visit with other county officials and hear how they do things," Bateman said.
One of the more interesting differences in county officials Bateman learned was county treasurers in North Dakota can perform marriages as a justice of the peace.
"That's not anything I'd be interested in doing," Bateman said with a laugh.
Other differences were the division of duties. There are some county treasurers who only collect county taxes. Taxpayers have to pay other entities (school district, etc.) directly instead of making one tax payment to the treasurer for all taxing entities within the county.
There were 25-30 other Kansas delegates at the convention, recalled Bateman. She saw commissioners from the counties of Labette, Coffey, Johnson, and Reno.
There were five other Kansas county treasurers who attended meetings related to finance officers.
Inspirational speakers included a judge from Haskell County, and David Okerland who talked about the secrets of an innovative leader.
"He talked about how 'sacred cows' make good cheeseburgers," said Bateman, and how leaders recognize a need for change.
While a tourist in Honolulu, Bateman said the city had a "marvelous" bus system but had to figure out which bus went to specific places.
The language also was a challenge.
"When getting directions, a person would say the name of the street which didn't look like it was spelled," said Bateman. "We learned to ask the person to spell the name as well as pronounce it."
An additional treat for Bateman was seeing Marion native and high school graduate Brian Loomis as a vendor at the convention.
Loomis, the son of former Marion residents Larry and Randee Loomis, lives and works in Honolulu.
Bateman and others flew from Kansas City to Salt Lake City to Los Angeles and then to Honolulu. The flight took eight to 10 hours each way.
No problems were experienced by Bateman or the group during the flights or while in Honolulu.
"It was well worth the time and money," Bateman said.
Bateman encourages others to attend. In a few years, the convention will be in Kansas City, Mo., she said, and hopes to have a delegation from Marion County attend.
"It's good to get out of the county once in a while and see how other offices operate," said Bateman. "It's good to step outside the 'box'."
