Will Hamilton County Auditor Kim Schaa, Recorder Kim Anderson, and Treasurer Matt Matteson be on the ballot when their current terms expire in coming years? Or is it possible that those positions will be determined, not by voters, but by county supervisors?

This is what has been proposed by Gov. Kim Reynolds as part of a much larger Property Tax Reform bill.

Senate Study Bill 3034 is a Ways and Means measure that is not subject to traditional funnel deadlines, according to the Iowa State Association of Counties–ISAC. The measure, which has garnered little attention, is widely expected to move forward, according to ISAC. It is scheduled for debate within subcommittees this week.

“I was startled by the proposal,” Anderson said. “It’s at the very end of a tax reform proposal, and there’s nothing in this proposal that would save money for the county, so I’m not sure where it’s coming from, or how it would benefit the county.”

The three officeholders are seeking to inform the public about the proposal so that a full debate can include the public and voters who entrusted them with their individual offices.

Republican Schaa is the senior officeholder. She joined the Auditor’s office in 1978 and never thought about taking another job.

“Everyone says you should change jobs once or twice, and I never have,” Schaa said. “I guess I just found what I like and I have stayed.”

She eventually was appointed deputy auditor and was first elected auditor in 2000. Schaa said she trusts voters and was very surprised by the proposal — especially given that Reynolds herself was once treasurer in Clarke County.

Schaa said electing officials makes them directly responsible to voters, and hence increases accountability and accessibility.

“I think you would lose a lot of accountability,” Schaa said. “You would lose checks and balances, and I think you could lose some transparency.”

One critical difference between county supervisors and all other county officeholders is that supervisors are elected by district. In other words, not every voter gets a chance to vote on every supervisor. The auditor, treasurer and recorder, along with county attorney and sheriff, are elected county-wide. Every voter within the county gets to vote on these officeholders.

In Iowa, auditors also serve as Commissioner of Elections, a role that has been under increasing scrutiny across the country.

“You have to be fair,” Schaa said of her role overseeing elections. “I have to be fair to both parties. That’s something, across the state, that auditors really push. We have to be non-partisan. We have to be fair to everyone.”

With 48 years of public service behind her, Schaa pointed out one benefit that she gave up in order to serve as an elected official. It’s not one she has thought about much, but it is one that could actually increase costs for counties, rather than saving them.

“Elected officials are not eligible for unemployment,” she said.

When the voters say you are done, you are done. Appointed officials would serve at the pleasure of county supervisors and would be eligible for unemployment benefits, should the situation arise.

In addition, appointed officials, such as the assessor, have salaries much higher than any of the offices now considered for appointment rather than election, according to Schaa.

Party politics mean little at county level

While it’s not currently on the table, Schaa commented that one change she could get behind is the elimination of party designation for county officials. In Hamilton County, she said Republicans and Democrats have historically worked very well together.

Party affiliation, she said, was stronger when she first joined the office in 1978, but that seems to have diminished over the years. She would favor a system similar to school board elections and township officials where candidates do not list a party.

Recorder Anderson was appointed after the resignation of Recorder Karen Kantak in July 2006. She was elected to her first full-term that fall. Running on the Republican ticket, she enjoyed a rare endorsement from the opposite party when Democrat Kantak announced her support for Anderson in the general election.

It’s clear that Anderson appreciated the endorsement mostly because of Kantak’s experience, rather than the unique political nature of the event. Like nearly all public officials at the county level, she said she just does not see party politics as a major factor at the county level.

“I do not feel that party politics have ever been a factor in Hamilton County,” Anderson said.

Anderson emphasized the statutory requirement of each different office and placed her trust in voters to choose officials who will be accountable to the public.

“I think when people are elected for a position that has statutory requirements, that the people should have a say as to who they are putting in that office,” she said. “If they do not, it would almost be an administrative government set-up at that point.”

Anderson said she is worried about losing accountability and independence on the part of individual officeholders.

“This isn’t about protecting jobs; someone will continue to fill the positions,” she said. “This is about protecting the voters’ rights to choose who handles their tax dollars, property records, and elections. County auditors, treasurers and recorders have historically been independently elected, each established as separate elected officials under Iowa law, with distinct statutory responsibilities and direct accountability to voters.”

Anderson said she hopes people speak out to their state representatives to let them know how they feel about this proposal.

“Once you give up your vote, you will never get it back,” she said.

Treasurer Matt Matteson is the newest face among these officeholders. He was elected in 2022 on the Republican ticket in a very competitive three-way race. The fact that there was so much interest in the race gives him a deeper appreciation for the trust voters have placed in him.

“It was a big confidence boost,” Matteson said of the election. “The voters trusted me to take care of the office and to take care of their funds that are invested. They trust that I can do the job.”

He was very surprised when he learned of the proposal to eliminate the mandate for elections to make the office of treasurer an appointed one.

“It did surprise me,” Matteson said. “There has been a lot of talk over the years of combining the offices of treasurer and recorder, and that is not realistic.”

After three years in office, he said he feels the responsibility to voters that only an elected official can understand.

“You get people at the counter who let you know that they expect you to do the job,” he said. “That’s part of it, working to keep the public as happy as possible.”