Bremer County treasurer says Tuesday counter closures reduced processing times; cites House File 674

Adam Hoffman, Bremer County treasurer, told the board during public input that closing the treasurer's office counter on Tuesdays — a change implemented March 11, 2025 — coincided with a "significant reduction in processing times" for electronic registration and titling even as transaction volume increased.

Hoffman presented a handout with supporting data and said the Tuesday closure also "provides dedicated time for staff training, continuing education, compliance requirements, cross training, and completion of work that would otherwise compete with daily counter traffic and statutory deadlines." He invited board members and county staff to review the data with him and to help publicize the counter schedule change for better citizen awareness.

Hoffman told the board that higher title volumes stem in part from a recent state change to vehicle transaction rules, citing House File 674, which he said allowed vehicle transactions to be processed across counties. "What that means is we could receive title work from [neighboring counties] into Bremer County and we have to process it," he said, noting the county must meet statutory turnaround requirements.

Board members asked questions about staffing and consistency with other departments' pay schedules. Hoffman said the office has not requested additional staff and that the current model — including cross‑training and planned wage adjustments in the next fiscal year — is helping with retention and service. He provided a rough estimate that adding an entry‑level clerk with benefits would cost about $62,000 annually, but said he did not plan to request that at this time.

Hoffman made clear the change was operational and tied to workload shifts: "This is just one measurable example from one function within the treasurer's office," he said. He concluded by making himself available to share the underlying data with any officials or staff who wish to examine it.

The board offered brief thanks and moved on to other agenda items. The treasurer's observations and the House File reference were presented as operational context; no formal board action on the counter schedule was recorded at this meeting.