Cleveland County Treasurer – July 2011-Present
Budget Board Member – 2011-Present
Vice-Chair Budget Board July 2013 – present: *The Chairman is an appointed from pool of County Commissioners, the Vice-Chair is elected by the active members of the board. Jim has received unanimous support from his peers six years running.
County Self-Insurance Committee: July 2016 – present: One of three charter members of this select committee tasked with studying feasibility of, and implementing an employee self-managed health insurance plan; thereby maintaining employees’ present level of coverage and providing substantial savings to the County.
County Capitol Building Committee: December 2015 – present: One of three charter members of this select committee tasked with studying the long term needs of the Courthouse complex, including office space, parking, etc.; the goal is to provide a high level of architectural design, serve the community long term, without additional taxes or bonding debt. It can be done!
Fiscal Responsibility: By Statute, the State Auditor and Inspector is required to audit County Treasurers annually. The Cleveland County Treasurer’s office has received a clean audit every year during Jim’s tenure. Six years, over two billion dollars of transactions, and accountability to the penny!
Fiscal Conservative: During Jim’s tenure fiscal year 2011-12 to 2017-18 the Cleveland County Treasurer’s general budget has decreased annually. Starting at $1,575,000 and standing at $1,277,578 today. This was at Jim’s request and represents an overall 19% cut. All other agencies have seen an average increase of 9.4% during that time. It takes foresight and highly effective management to make this happen (see Jim’s Management Credo)!
Fiscal Hound-Dog: By Statute and as a means of fiscal responsibility, counties only budget 95% of anticipated revenue. This protects against revenue failures and/or inefficient collections. Since 2011, collections in Cleveland County stand over 99%. Collecting taxes is a significant aspect of the Cleveland County Treasurer’s office and we do it well. With the vast portion of property taxes applied towards education, collections is imperative, now more than ever!
The Oklahoma Treasurer’s Association is comprised of Treasurers’ from all 77 Counties. They are at the forefront for creating legislative changes and assisting County Treasurers in best procedural practices. Jim joined The OTA in 2011, was elected Southwest Division Director in 2014 and Treasurer of the Association in 2016, a position he holds to this day. Cleveland County has been the host site for the State Conference in three of the last five years.
Jim joined IACREAT in 2013 and (IGO) International Association of Government Officials in 2016: These organizations, global in membership, work diligently with elected officials from fields including Treasurers, Clerks/Recorders, Assessors, and Election Officials. In 2017, Jim was elected to the governing board of IGO, as Treasurers’ Division Director. Over 2000 County Treasurers serve throughout the Country, only one serves on this 9 member board, Jim Reynolds.
Oklahoma State County Training Program: Oklahoma’s only certified County Training Program, providing classroom instruction for three levels of Certification. In 2011, when Jim took office no Treasurer’s employees held the highest level of certification, Advanced II. Jim obtained the certification his second year of office, encouraged others to do the same. Today eight staff members, a third of his staff, now hold this degree. A well trained work force is of great benefit to the individual and the community!