New county auditor takes over in January

The Kansas native got two associates degrees from Colby Community College, one in business.

“My husband (Ryan) is a native of Scranton,” she said, explaining her move to Bowman County. “We met in my hometown of Selden (Kansas).”

After moving to Scranton, she worked for a while at West Plains Implement in Bowman.

When she heard of an opening with the county, she was interested. “It was a job that really appealed to me. I have always been really interested in government. I felt that it (deputy auditor) was a job that really fit my capabilities and my interests,” she explained.

She came into a position that had been filled by her predecessor for 28 years, Schumacher said. “She worked with me for six months before she retired.”

The soon-to-be auditor added that she has had really good teachers.

Schumacher said that she started working for the county Jan. 2 in 2007.

According to the new auditor, there is a lot to the job that the public isn’t aware of – including handling game and fish in the county. “There is the budgets, the mill levies, the minutes and agendas, we serve as the secretary for the zoning board; the auditor is also the chief financial officer for the county. We handle all aspects of the county’s financial affairs, including payroll and payroll reporting, the payment of bills, the disbursement of the taxes collected, the preparation of financial statements and the budgets.

“The auditor also calculate the mill levies for the taxing districts and overseas the delinquent tax process.

“We are also in charge of maintaining the insurance coverage and the inventory of fixed assets,” she explained. That also doesn’t include the auditor’s duties regarding the beer and liquor licenses, along with the hunting licenses.

“We are constantly changing gears in this office,” she added.

When it comes to handling the county elections, it is almost a constant state of learning and adapting, she explained. “We incur changes every two years. We are constantly learning.”

When it comes to meeting with the public, the office follows current guidelines regarding access to the county building. “If people have questions, they tend to just call in. We start that way. If it is something the need to come in and visit with, we can do it that way as well.”

There is a lot of similarity between her northwest Kansas root and Bowman County, she explained. “It is very similar. I grew up in a very agricultural community. They had oil as well. I grew up in a small town with 200 people, so it is very similar…. just colder here.”

According to Schumacher, her predecessor, the current auditor, has done a lot to help her learn the job. “There was a lot of hands on stuff we worked together on. She taught me a lot, about election rules and laws. There was a lot, which we learned together, which was helpful, as we helped each other out.

“We would bring out the best in each other. We worked pretty well as a team,” Schumacher explained.

The mother has two sons attending Scranton High School.