PETERSBURG, Va. -- Even though most of the duties of the City Treasurer in Petersburg have been transferred to the newly created billing and collections department, Treasurer-elect Ken Pritchett believes a recent vote by City Council is "a step in the right direction."
Pritchett is referring to the vote where council members approved not to ask the General Assembly to eliminate the Constitutional Office.
The offices duties have been greatly curtailed since a vote in July by City Council. The vote created the department of billing and collections and reduced the majority of the responsibilities of the treasurer.
Pritchett, who has already been sworn in, is ready for his first full day on January 2.
"Basically, I'll be accepting the deposits and deposit them into the city's bank accounts. And actually being a checks and balances person to make sure what they turn in is accurate, so we'll double check things," said Prichett.
Ken Pritchett
The key is checks and balances, which Council Member Howard Myers believes is utilizing both offices at the same time.
The July vote came after city leaders say there were constant complaints and concerns on how the Treasurer failed to properly collect the taxes owed to the city. Some say that was part of the reason for the city's financial collapse.
"We have a new Treasurer coming in, so the vote magnified that we wanted to maintain what we have right now and look at the situation in the future," he said.
Treasurer-elect Ken Pritchett says he'd like to see some of those responsibilities returned to his office as he, the Collections Department and city leaders move forward in 2018.
