New county auditor/treasurer is on the job

New Faribault County auditor/treasurer Kari Jacobson, who is originally from Kiester, is busy at her new office and desk in the county courthouse.

For Kari Jacobson, accepting the job as the auditor/treasurer for Faribault County meant a return to the area where she was born and raised.

“I grew up in Kiester and graduated from high school there in 1981,” Jacobson says. “After I graduated, I headed north to what at that time was known as Brainerd Vocational School.”

She only stayed at the northern Minnesota school for one year before returning to the area and getting a job in Lake Mills, Iowa, working at Fleetguard (later known as Cummins Filtration).

“I started on the floor at Fleetguard,” Jacobson recalls. “I worked my way up in the company until I was eventually in charge of payroll and accounts payable.”

She also took advantage of a tuition reimbursement program offered by the company to further her education.

“I eventually settled at NIACC (North Iowa Area Community College,” Jacobson comments. “I was working full time, attending college full time and I was a single mom. Time management was very important.”

She would eventually graduate in 2001 with honors, a Magna Cum Laude student with a 3.76 GPA from Buena Vista University in Mason City and Storm Lake, Iowa.

“I got my bachelor’s degree in accounting and business administration,” Jacobson shares.

She has accumulated a wealth of experience through working for various companies or governments.

“I was in charge of payroll and the human resources administrator for Waste Management at their Clarks Grove facility,” Jacobson notes. “I was also the city clerk/treasurer/liquor store manage for the city of Kiester from 2001 until 2012.”

She was also active in the community and at one time served on the United South Central School Board.

Eventually, she left her hometown area to take a job in northern Minnesota with the city of Hermantown. The city created the position of accountant and hired Jacobson to do the job.

“My daughter was in college in New Jersey, so in a sense I was free,” Jacobson says. “Though I had come back to southern Minnesota to work various jobs for a few years, I had always dreamed of going back up north.”

Then, in 2016, Jacobson began what she calls her ‘dream job.’

“I was hired as the finance specialist for Breezy Point,” Jacobson comments. “My responsibilities included the budget, payroll, accounts receivable, accounts payable and the utility bills.”

And it brought her back to an area she loved, near Brainerd.

By 2023, thoughts of retirement crossed her mind and she was considering becoming a financial consultant and working in both northern and southern Minnesota.

“I actually interviewed for the Faribault County auditor/treasurer job last September,” Jacobson says. “I did not get the job at that time, but then I accepted a position as the clerk/treasurer for the city of Motley.”

When the auditor/treasurer position in Faribault County opened up again, the county contacted her about the job.

“I turned them down a few times,” Jacobson shares. “Finally, their Human Resources director, Amanda Shoff, convinced me to come down for a visit. What I thought was going to be a casual get together turned into an hour and a half session.”

But, about two hours after Jacobson had left Blue Earth, she had a job offer.

“I still have a lot of skills to share,” Jacobson told her mother, who still lives in Kiester, when she decided to accept the county auditor/treasurer position. “And, if I am going to keep working, it might as well be here. Plus, I have the added benefit of being close to my mom.”

Jacobson feels it will take at least six months for her to get comfortable with all of the aspects of her new position.

“I feel comfortable with the budget process but I know there are other processes I will have to follow,” she says. “While I am busy learning, I am also trying to keep my hours under control.”

She states she is blessed to have an excellent staff to work with.

“We are also fully staffed,” Jacobson notes. “That helps make our tasks more manageable.”

And make no mistake, the county auditor/treasurer’s office has a number of responsibilities including managing county funds and maintaining up-to-date records, transfer cards, maps and certificates on each of the approximately 14,000 parcels of land in the county.

The auditor/treasurer also collects special assessments for cities and townships, calculates the tax capacity rates on which all taxes are levied and collects all real, personal property and mobile home taxes. After the tax collection period, the auditor/treasurer pays the treasurers of the school districts, cities and townships the money collected on their behalf.

“I am fortunate that former county auditor/treasurer John Thompson has been coming in two days a week to help,” Jacobson comments. “Right now he is working mostly on getting the 2023 audit ready, but he is available to answer questions if I need help. Auditors from surrounding counties are also very willing to help out, but I don’t want to burden them if it is not necessary.”

She credits her previous experience as supplying her with knowledge on how to get things done.

“I have worked for employers who have many different styles of management,” Jacobson says. “I am not a micro manager and I am not here to get the credit. My goal is to put my employees in a position where they can succeed.”

In addition to her goal of learning the system in six months, Jacobson also wants to work at streamlining the system.

“I want the employees in this office to come to work every day and enjoy themselves,” Jacobson adds. “It is important to keep the work environment positive.”

The 60-year old Jacobson plans on retiring from full-time work in five years.

“I would still like to do some consulting work,” she concludes. “I plan to be here five years and leave the auditor/treasurer’s office in a better place than when I got here. It is fun to be back here and run into people I know, but my dream is still to get back up north to a lake and to sit around a bonfire while relaxing with friends.”