Growing up in Little Axe rooted Tammy firmly within Cleveland County and imbued her with a passion to serve people. She says she loved attending Little Axe schools and being in a small rural environment.
She also attended Mid-America Technology Center.
“Growing up, my family and my cousins on my mom’s side all lived on the same street and some of them still do,” Richards said. “We knew so many people. Even now, I feel like that’s still my home. My roots are there.”
During her 31 years serving Cleveland County at the Treasurer’s Office, Richards has brought that spirit of community into her public service.
“I started in 1993 with Treasurer Carol Lowery,” she said. “I knew Court Clerk Rhonda Hall, and she told me there was a position open, so I applied.”
Treasurer Jim Reynolds is the third treasurer she has worked under.
“I started at the window as a teller, then I moved to bookkeeping,” she said. “I was at the window for five years and I’ve been a supervisor ever since.”
Richards worked in bookkeeping for two decades before moving to balancing. For the last couple of years, she has been the chief deputy—the second in charge serving directly under Treasurer Reynolds.
In her current position, Richards often facilitates good public service by assisting employees in the office. She also serves other Cleveland County staff who come seeking information.
“I enjoy solving puzzles,” she said.
The Treasurer’s Office is the county’s bank. It collects taxes and distributes them to cities, schools, the multi-county library system and other county entities.
“We are the official depository for Cleveland County government,” she said. “We take in funds from the other offices and balance the bank statements.”
This includes everything from public safety sales tax dollars to grant money and reimbursements.
As chief deputy, Richards oversees more than 20 people. The Office has four departments and five different supervisors. She also works closely with Treasurer Reynolds and serves as a liaison with employees from other offices.
“A lot of times the problems I solve are with the computer or with the system,” she said. “I also help make decisions on the best way to handle things that come up.”
The busiest time of year for the Treasurer’s Office is tax time in December. It can present interesting challenges as they work to serve people paying their property taxes.
“We’ve had people bring money in the sock they were wearing and had to take their shoe and sock off to pay taxes,” she remembered, laughing. “That was many years ago.”
Most property taxes are paid by the mortgage companies that hold the loans, but people who have paid those loans off or who borrowed privately must pay at least half their taxes by December 31. While online, mail and drop-off box options are available, Tammy said they still have many people who line up to pay in person each year, keeping staff busy through the end of December.
“I love the work, but my favorite thing is the people,” she said. “I just like helping people.” – BSM
By Joy Hampton
