Sprosty to Retire
Martin Sprosty
Crawford County Treasurer Martin Sprosty poses with State Senator Paul Offner of La Crosse (left) and United States Senator from Wisconsin William Proxmire in the 1970s.
The last year for longtime Crawford County Treasurer
By Ted Pennekamp
The year 2016 will be the final one for longtime Crawford County Treasurer Martin Sprosty who will be stepping down after 44 years. Come January, the county will have a new treasurer because Sprosty will not be seeking re-election.
Sprosty noted that he was first elected in 1972 and took the oath of office on Jan. 2, 1973.
“I don’t expect retirement to be anything spectacular, but I’ll find things to do,” said Sprosty, who will turn 69 in December. “I’ll be socializing, visiting and relaxing.”
Sprosty was 25 years old when he first became treasurer and numerous officials and department heads have been employed by the county during the span of his tenure. During the past 44 years, Milo Cooper, Paul Hazen, Patricia Benish and Janet Geisler have been the county clerk. James O’Neil, Michael Kirchman, James Czajkowski and now Lynn Rider have been the Crawford County Circuit Court Judge. The sheriff’s have included Harry Shedivy, Ray Childs, Bill Fillback, Robert Ostrander, Jerry Moran and Dale McCullick. The clerk of courts have included Paul Paulson, Gay Olson and Donna Steiner. The register of deeds have been Lyle Johnson, Florence Erickson, Cheryl Olson and Melissa Nagel.
“During my first years in office most of the work was done manually,” said Sprosty, in noting there have been many technological changes over the decades. During those early years, the Addressograph was the exception to manual work. Sprosty remembered that the assessment and tax rolls were partially printed using the Addressograph, which stamped metal plates with the legal description, ownership and mailing address of each parcel. Sprosty said the metal plates looked similar to military dog tags.
In the early 1980s, the treasurer’s office upgraded to partial computer systems, including the Burroughs B90, said Sprosty. By the mid 1980s, IBM computers were the norm. Of course, the computers and software have been continually advanced over the years.
“Everything operates much faster now,” said Sprosty. “It used to take one and a half hours to calculate the tax roll for the city of Prairie du Chien. Now, the whole county can be done in less than a minute. It’s so much more automated. It’s online.” Sprosty said, for example, that banks can now check information online and communicate via email rather than sending a person to the county treasurer’s office.
Many people may not know all of the responsibilities of a county treasurer who wears many hats. The duties include but are not limited to: receipt and deposit all money; keep the daily balances of bank accounts; invest excess funds; maintain records of all paid and delinquent taxes; take property for delinquent taxes (in many counties working with the county clerk and county board); assist local municipal clerks and treasurers with their collection and tax settlements; furnish complete and balanced tax settlements to the Department of Revenue; settle with taxing jurisdiction in August and pay them to ensure they have received their full levy; maintain all tax records in the county, print assessment rolls and tax rolls; maintain the lottery credit list to be applied to tax bills; bill and collect agricultural use value charges by working with assessors, municipal officials, title companies and the public; deliver to the county clerk duplicate receipts for all money received; issue tax certificates annually on Sept. 1 for any parcel with unpaid taxes; and reconcile all bank accounts monthly.
Sprosty was at UW-Platteville during the election year in which he was first elected. He went on to earn a BS degree in math and had taken various computer science classes. In the spring of 1972, he took more classes, including some about creating and modifying programs on a main frame computer.
He was approached about running for county treasurer in 1972. He was not on the ballot for the primary, but he printed business cards and set up a booth at the Crawford County Fair. He was on the ballot for the general election. Sprosty recalls that he won by 133 votes over Carrie Gillitzer.
Sprosty said he will lend his experience and expertise to whomever becomes the new treasurer to ease the transition.
“I’m going to help as much as I can,” he said.
