Craighead County voters will soon decide whether to merge the positions of county collector and county treasurer into a single elected office. The proposal is set to appear on the November ballot, with officials suggesting the change could streamline operations and save money.
County Judge Marvin Day said the idea of combining the two roles had been under discussion for years. He added that the timing of the current tax collector’s upcoming retirement provided an opportunity to move forward without requiring two serving officials to compete for the new, combined position.
“It’s a really easy job when they’re combined, less chances for mistakes when you have it all in-house,” Judge Day explained. “So it just got on my radar.”
Under the proposal, the budgets for each office would remain separate even if the duties are consolidated into one office. Judge Day stated that the Quorum Court had discussed employing an internal auditor to provide oversight in the event the positions are combined.
Day emphasized that he does not believe the merger would result in a significant consolidation of governmental power.
“At the end of the day, your quorum court has a lot of that control to make sure that everybody’s doing their job,” he said. “Especially in those two areas, I don’t see that you’re creating any kind of shift in power of government.”
If approved, the proposed changes would take effect in January 2031. Voters will have the opportunity to decide the matter during the upcoming November election.