A New Bookkeeper Will Help Overton Keep Up With Bills, Purchase Orders

A new bookkeeper for Overton County Government will hopefully ease the burden of work.

County Executive Steven Barlow said the county was in desperate need of the assistance. He said the county had been operating in this way for several years, and it was time to make a change.

“The ladies that work in this office, they work nights and they work weekends to try and keep these bills paid,” Barlow said. “And we’re just running behind on getting these things caught up. And adding a new position will relieve that much stress off of them.”

Barlow said as the county’s budget has increased, it has still operating with the same number of people. He said just a few years ago, the county’s budget was one-third what it is today, so working with the same number of staff is not a recipe for success.

Barlow said they are currently taking applications for the role. He said they are looking to hire someone with a background in bookkeeping, and a degree to match will help. Barlow said when you deal with that amount of money, there is no room for error.

“Every dollar that’s spent in the county has to have a purchase order and there’s a lot that goes through that,” Barlow said. “(…) When the invoice of the purchase comes in they have to go through the purchase order number, this is who called in and requested the amount that it was for, what it was for, and who it was going to then you have to go through line items, which account it comes out of. It’s very difficult.”

The county commission approved the new positions for its current fiscal year budget.