The Minnesota Association of County Officers (MACO) named Fran Windschitl, Rice County Auditor-Treasurer, to its Honor Roll at the Annual MACO Conference held Jan. 14-18, 2013 in Bloomington. MACO also elected Diane Arnold, Sherburne County Auditor-Treasurer, as the organization’s president for 2014.
The Honor Roll is the highest honor awarded each year by the MACO organization. The award is presented by the president of MACO to an individual or individuals in recognition of outstanding service and contributions to the Minnesota Association of County Officers. The Honor Roll has been given annually since 1996. Windschitl was recognized for his efforts in promoting the best interests of the MACO organization including specifically his active role in organizing county officers to visit legislators from their common districts at the state Capitol during the legislative session.
MACO is comprised of county auditors, treasurers, recorders, financial officers and registrars in Minnesota. All 87 Minnesota counties are members. The MACO organization is made up of two individual associations – one comprised of auditors, treasurers and financial officers and a separate association of recorders and registrars.
These two individual associations – the Minnesota Association of County Auditors, Treasurers and Financial Officers (MACATFO) and the Minnesota County Recorders Association (MCRA) – combine to make up MACO.
In additional to the Honor Roll, awards also are presented to an outstanding auditor, treasurer and recorder of the year. Officers receiving awards are voted in by their peers.
Marlin Helget, Brown county auditor-treasurer, received the outstanding Auditor Of The Year award and John Thompson, Faribault County auditor-treasurer, received the Treasurer of the Year award from the MACATFO organization. Kari Aanenson, Norman County recorder, received the Recorder Of The Year award from the MCRA organization.
Arnold follows Michelle Ashe, Sherburne County Recorder, as president of the MACO organization. The role of president alternates between the MACATFO and MCRA organizations. This year’s vote marked the first occurrence that the MACO president will be from the same county in consecutive years.
Also seated at the MACO conference were newly elected members of the Board of Directors. They included Brenda Lundon, Mahnomen County Treasurer; Elaine Martig, Big Stone County Recorder; and Lisa Pfarr, Sibley County Auditor.
