By Jeff Rebitski
If you live in Fremont County, you are familiar with the name Julie Freese. In fact, every time you register your car, you write her a check. Julie has recently announced that she will again run for Fremont County Clerk in the upcoming election. That does not really make a big splash in the world of news until you realize that she has been working for Fremont County for 42 years.
A lifelong resident of this beautiful community, she states that she really never was the kind to move around. After marrying her husband who also shared her desire to stay in Fremont County, they made that commitment and here Julie stays, at the County Clerk’s Office, serving and improving the lives of the residents.
Her commitment shows when you talk to her as she is involved in so many facets of the county government. “Without superior staff, I can’t do my job. We make sure that each person is doing what they like and doing it well.”
With so much change in budget reform and accountability, there must be a person who can interpret all the changes and guide the commissioners in their decisions. That is Julie. Working for the County since high school, she has a total of 42 years with the county, and 28 years running the Clerk’s office. When asked, Julie states that retirement is just not what she wants right now. She said “I’m sure that it will come to me eventually, just not yet.”
For now, her and her family still remain anchored to the community and participate in all it has to offer. She enjoys working with her staff and often helps out at the windows when they are short handed. She states that she still knows how things work at the basic level, but she has to depend on her staff of well trained employees to carry the load in all the departments she oversees. Her constant desire to improve the processes and the stewardship of the community’s resources, means “just leave it alone” is never an option. We want to improve as much as we can. For the customer’s sake.
Every time a Fremont County resident is born, dies, marries, forms a domestic partnership or divorces, the clerk accepts and files the certifying legal document.. Each of these is added to the thousands of records that the Fremont County clerk must maintain.
According to the Fremont County webpage, the following is a list of the job duties that are the responsibilities of the County Clerk.
- Clerk to the Board of Fremont County Commissioners
- Chief Budget Officer (see Financial Information)
- Chief Election Officer
- Issue Wyoming Titles for Motor Vehicles
- Record liens on motor vehicles following the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC)
- Accounts Payable is where we process and pay vendors who have provided goods and services to the county (see Financial Information).
- Payroll Office (see Financial Information)
- County Recorder (Land Recording) and Ex-Officio Register of Deeds
- Issue Wyoming Marriage Licenses and how to obtain other Vital Records
- Administer Liquor License application and records.
Based on her 6 successful campaigns, it would appear that she has the skills to do it again.
I asked Julie if there were any areas that have increased their activity lately? To this she stated… “There are so many people who are moving here from out of state and paying cash for large properties, titles are a lot of work.” She also is responsible for the testing of the voting machines to insure fair and secure voting for the citizens. She works closely with the company who makes the machines to guarantee the integrity of the election.
Her final thoughts were of something done that very day with a group of 5th graders at a local elementary school. She took time from her busy schedule to meet with them and share concepts and ideas about civics and elections and while they are a few years away from the practical application of such knowledge, we can hope they will remember the valuable lessons taught by a veteran of the job. When I asked how Julie found the time, She simply stated… “You have to make time for the kids”
