Auditor's Office / Treasurer's Office
Stearns County Auditor/Treasurer
Randy R. Schreifels
Mailing Address:
705 Courthouse Square Room 148
St. Cloud, MN 56303-4701
Telephone: 320-656-3900
Fax: 320-656-3916
Email: auditor@co.stearns.mn.us
The Stearns County Auditor/Treasurer Office is the central accounting office for the county. The Auditor/Treasurer office is comprised of three divisions: License Centers/Treasurer Office, Land Management/County Surveyor/GIS and Finance. In addition our office is responsible for processing various licenses and permits such as: auctioneer, liquor, fireworks and transient merchant, etc.
The County Auditor/Treasurer Office administers all federal, state and local elections. Election information is available on voter registration, absentee voting, filing for office and election results.
There are two License Centers located in Stearns County. Services provided include: Game and Fish, Motor Vehicle and Drivers License, and Vital Statistics. Currently, not all services are available at each license center, In 2009 the new Virtual License Center was launched. The Virtual License Center is designed to allow customers to submit applications and purchase birth and death certificates, marriage licenses and marriage certificates online as well as DNR vehicle registration renewals for boats, snowmobiles, ATV's, and off-highway motorcycles and vehicles.
The Treasurer's Office is responsible for the cash management and investment of all County funds which includes monitoring cash flow and collateral requirements. They collect all property taxes as well as other county funds, perform tax escrow maintenance on approximately 12,700 accounts, conduct semi-monthly bank reconciliations, and distribute monthly collections of fees and fines.
Property tax payments can be paid online, by mail, and over the counter. In addition to those options there are two property tax payment plans available: 10-month plan or Quarterly plan
The Finance Division is responsible for preparing the County's annual financial statement, filing receipts for all revenues and bills, and processing all payroll deductions and employee benefits. It also calculates and collects the taxes for the School Districts, Townships, Cities, and six special taxing districts.
The Land Management/County Surveyor Division is responsible for remonumentation of government section markers throughout the County, oversees ditch on-site reviews, aerial photos, reviews of plats, maps and legal descriptions.
Land Management/Land Records oversees the maintenance of tax records, reviews plats, deeds, mortgages and related legal documents to ensure recordability. In addition, this area maintains special assessments assigned to properties.
Land Management/GIS (Geographic Information Systems) is a mapping technology which can be used to analyze the geographic information of a property. The GIS area works to develop, implement and maintain a GIS database for county departments, local government agencies and the general public. The GIS area provides maps and the necessary tools for emergency response and public protection.
Stearns County has a Property Management Portal available, which is an Internet application that provides the county's business partners with 24/7 online access to real time property records information.