(Riverton, WY) – The Fremont County Clerk and Treasurer’s office in Riverton closed last month to accommodate this year’s countywide budget cuts.
The Riverton office was previously open one day a week, but when Clerk Julie Freese and Treasurer Jim Anderson both left vacant positions as part of this year’s budget process, Freese stated that they no longer had enough employees to staff the satellite location.
“I know that one day a week doesn’t seem like a lot over there, but it was taking people away from our office (in the) county seat,” she said. “(And) when we don’t have enough people in Lander … it becomes very hard to make sure our lines aren’t huge.”
‘The New Way’
Freese has always prioritized keeping an office in Riverton when possible, but this year “we had to cut everything that was not necessary out of our budget,” she said, and the Riverton office was identified as “low-hanging fruit” – despite the fact that it was “very busy” on the one day it was open per week.
“It’s super important to me to have a presence (in Riverton) if we can,” she went on: “(But) the county seat is the county seat, and we’re going to do our best service … for people over there.”
County budgets may be cut again next year, she said, so “this might be the new way for a while, unless something changes.”
People who must travel long distances to the Lander office should call ahead of time to ensure they bring the necessary documents, according to Freese.
The phone number is (307) 332-2405, and the office is located in Room 220 at 450 N. Second St. in Lander. It is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
New revenue
According to documents available on Fremont County’s website, Freese reduced her budget by $71,600 (6%) this year, while Anderson reduced it by $44,800 (4%).
Those figures would have been higher if Freese and Anderson had not been able to incorporate additional revenue into their budgets as well.
For example, Freese stated that she intends to start charging a fee for access to online land records this year, which should generate an additional $40,000 for her office.
“(We’re) one of the few counties that don’t charge for … online services to our land records,” she informed me. “I’m working through (that) process now.”
