Wide range

Tammy Spooner has taken on quite a range of duties for Waseca County, serving as the Director of Property and Election Services and the County Recorder. It’s a big responsibility for sure, and there’s even more to her job description.

Spooner also started filling the role of Auditor and Treasurer this past month, so yes, there are many spinning plates being balanced on a daily basis. She says it’s going “very well,” though

“It is a bit overwhelming at times to be the Auditor–Treasurer-Recorder and then toss in being the division leader for property records, but I am definitely up for the challenge,” Spooner said.

She added, “The county moved toward a divisional model and moved the assessor’s office under this umbrella. In a nutshell, I am the auditor, treasurer and recorder,  and the assessor reports to me.”

Her duties as Director of Property and Election Services began on August 23 of last year, and then just a few months later on November 8, she also acquired the duties of county recorder from Linda Karst, who retired from the position.

“I’ll be the first to admit that I never dreamed about being the recorder or taking over responsibilities of the assessor’s office, but I do everything I can for the greater good of Waseca County,” Spooner said.

She performs an impressively long list of duties, including tax calculation, tax collection, recording property ownership,  election administration, banking, investments, accounts payable, accounts receivable, property records, and property assessment

“While that sounds like a lot, and it is, my success is only because I have a great staff that takes a lot of pride in a job well done,” she said. “There aren’t words to express how fortunate I am to have employees with very strong work ethics."

Spooner says that details and accuracy have remained her top priorities since day one. With so many deadlines to meet, her desk and even her brain capacity can begin to feel used up, but she knows how important it is to be precise.

“I put a lot of effort into doing things correctly the first time; re-doing always takes a lot longer,” she said. “My job financially impacts all of the cites, townships and school districts in the county. They all depend on tax money being received in a  timely and accurate manner.”

No two days are the same; there are many miscellaneous tasksl. From ordering ballots to training election judges, Spooner is never twiddling her thumbs as election administrator either.

“This job has a lot of challenges and I am always up for a challenge,” she said. “I love my job. It is truly my passion and calling.”

She added, “Life is way too short not to love what you do. Recently, someone told me that ‘stagnation is death.’  I had never looked at it that way, but this job is never stagnant. I wonder what it would be like to be bored.”

With so much to do, Spooner says prioritizing is the name of the game. One of the things at the top of her to-do list is to always consult with Robin Nelson, the deputy director of Property and Election Services. Together, she and Nelson first look at the laws and/or rules that apply to the task at hand and then make a game plan.

“Robin is truly my right hand,” she said. “Our mindsets are very similar; failure is never an option.”

These days, restructuring their department to “encompass the recorder’s duties,” is at the forefront in Spooner’s mind. The logistics of this implementation are still being finalized, but she says the end is in sight.

“The final step of the plan is changing the deed and mortgage registration taxes to be paid at the Records window, rather than stopping at the Auditor-Treasurer side first,” she said. “We want to be efficient and make it more convenient for the public to record documents."

Once the elements of the changeover are complete, Spooner says she will focus her attention on what she loves most: numbers. She has always found dealing with money and equations appealing.

“When I was very young, I wanted to be a banker,” she said. “I used a deck of cards for money and the top of the humidifier as my teller station. That was the beginning of my love of working with money and numbers. As a teenager, I thought I wanted to be a nurse, but gravitated toward every business class I could get my hands on."

Nowadays, she couldn’t be happier with where she’s at, still pursuing her dream of accounting.

“As strange as this may sound, my favorite part of the job is tax calculation,” she said. “Minnesota property tax is very complicated, but the challenge is fun. I liken it to doing a puzzle, you start with a lot of pieces and everything has to work out perfectly at the end.”

Besides that, she “truly” enjoys collaborating with her co-workers to serve the public. For 32 years now, this Hartland native has called Waseca home..

“This is a great community with a lot of great community events, one of my favorites being the county fair,” she said. “I always enjoyed the fair growing up, and still do.”

She added, “Waseca was a great place to raise my children. After moving out of the area as young adults, they both came back to the area to raise their families. That speaks volumes to me about what a great community we live in.”

Spooner says she’ll be sticking around for some time: just last year she signed a seven-year contract. That commitment will take her to full retirement age and hopefully, someone will be ready to take the reins.

“I promised the Board chair that I would teach someone everything about my job and I am working on that,” she said.

She admits that delegating is a bit of a challenge for her at times, but she keeps at it. Or, as she puts it, she is “a work in progress." Something which helps her advance is that Linda Karst, recently retired county recorder, has returned to the office temporarily.

“Everyone on my team does a great job and is an important part of the team,” she said. “Linda and I worked together for almost 17 years; she has shared a lot of knowledge with me. She is a great mentor and an even better friend. When she is done temping and goes on to be fully retired, she will be missed tremendously, but we will still get together.”

The years definitely fly by, and Spooner is more than grateful that Karst is training staff  recording specialists while also proofreading some official documents since, “It’s ‘top priority’ for records to remain accurate.

“My heart is in service; it is gratifying to help people,” she said. “Again, my employees are amazing; we joke about ‘how it takes a village to raise a child.’ Here it is ‘it takes a village to take care of Tammy.’"

This “village” learns tips and tricks from Spoonerr as well. She’s done a lot of crash courses on tax calculation, recording, and everything law-related behind the scenes.

“I am teaching and transferring things like economic development tax abatements and more of the audit responsibilities,” she said.

With all the logistics to sort through, patience is a virtue and thankfully, she has it in spades. It also helps that she has been working in Waseca County offices for so long.

“My first day was spent entering capital assets into the system,” she said. “In April 2005, I began working as a deputy auditor.  There was a vacancy for chief deputy auditor in October 2005, which I applied for and was promoted to.”

She added, “The offices of auditor or treasurer were combined in February 2010 so my position morphed into chief deputy auditor-treasurer.  Upon the retirement of Joyce Oliver, auditor-treasurer, in February 2014, I was appointed to fill her remaining term.  I then ran for election and was elected to two terms as auditor-treasurer."

Clearly, much of her identity stems from this long work history. However, her family also fills an important role. She greatly enjoys playing with her grandchildren, reading, traveling, playing bingo, shopping and trying new things.

“Being a mom, grandma, and daughter are my favorite titles and make my heart happy,” she said. “Three little boys call me Grandma or Grammy and it is truly a joy. Some might think that I spoil them, but I prefer to say they are well loved.”

On the more adventurous front, she went snorkeling for the first time this last year. More of that is on the horizon for her, as long as she is able.

“I wake up every morning thankful for my health and to God for giving me another day,” she said. "Snorkeling was so much fun and I would love to go again. You are never too old to learn or try new things.”

With that thought in mind, she recollects all the moments spent with her mentor Joyce Oliver. Time and time again, Oliver would direct her so that one day she could perform tasks without faltering.

“For years, Joyce would say ‘come and watch this, someday you will have to do this,’” she said. “That would follow the next year with, ‘You do this and I’ll watch, someday you’ll have to do this.’ She was truly the wind beneath my wings. She gave me knowledge and experience to become the person I am today.”

Spooner concluded by saying, “A huge shout-out to my parents who taught me the value of hard work, to be the best person I can be, and to treat others with kindness."