Saturday, May 4, 2024
Hood County Treasurer Leigh Ann McCoy was elected treasurer of the County Treasurers Association of Texas (CTAT) for 2023-2024 on Sept. 20.
McCoy, who has been the Hood County treasurer for four years, was officially sworn into office in McAllen, surrounded by county treasurers from across Texas.
The role of the treasurer, McCoy said, is to keep the checks and balances, and transparency within the county in place.
“The treasurer is the only elected eyes that watches the monies coming in and the monies going out,” she said. “We are the voice of the citizen and the taxpayer. We are able to stand firm for discrepancies that may come about, if any. Along with duties as the ‘banker’ for the county, we also have the function of payroll (and) designated chief investment officer. We handle unclaimed property, report state quarterly's, (and are a) bail bond board member, among many other duties.”
According to a newsletter provided by the Dallas County Treasurer’s Office, being elected as a treasurer for a statewide organization like CTAT is a huge honor.
"The counties have what we call the Texas Association of Counties," McCoy explained. “From that, we have the County Treasurer's Association of Texas. The executive board, which is what I'm on, we basically will come in and provide support for the treasurers.”
For this year, McCoy will be tasked with providing support to county treasurers, judges and commissioners all over Texas.
"We have a scholarship fund that we take care of,” she said. “If there (was a) county treasurer (in the family) and that child is going to college, they can apply for the scholarships. We do a lot of fundraising for the counties. If there's anything that they need, we can help out in that area.”
She explained that she also has another duty — serving as both secretary and treasurer for region 6, which includes the counties of Taylor, Runnels, Concho, Coleman, Callahan, McCulloch, San Saba, Brown, Eastland, Comanche, Mills, Lampasas, Erath, Hamilton, Coryell, Bell, McLennan, Hill, Bosque, Somervell, Hood and Johnson.
“We have the executive board, which is over the state of treasurers, and then we are broken off into regions,” she explained. “We have a region six, which I'm secretary and treasurer of that one, so we’re just kind of your local help. We're a good support system for anybody.”
In total, McCoy serves as treasurer for Hood County, treasurer for CTAT, and secretary and treasurer for region six.
She added that in the 254 counties in the state of Texas, there are only nine counties that do not have treasurers.
“I think the last one (that was abolished) was back in the 80s, and of course now, they’re realizing they need that position, but it’s really hard to put that position back once you abolish it,” McCoy explained.
Last year, McCoy served as secretary for CTAT, but she believes the treasurer position is the “most intense position of the whole board.”
She said her goal in her new position of treasurer is to serve as a resource for people and to grow her knowledge as treasurer.
"Even though I've been here four-and-a-half years, it still seems like there's so much more to learn,” she said. “When they do reach out, I just want to be that comfort. I think this year is just to grow and to learn. I just want to become more knowledgeable on my position and governmental issues.”
Before serving as Hood County treasurer, McCoy worked for the district clerk for three years. Prior to that, her mother owned a court record research business, and she spent her time traveling from courthouse to courthouse, where she obtained records from the district clerk, county clerk and district judge.
"Since my mother started the business when I was a teenager, I'd always wanted to be with the county,” she explained. “Like, I would see the courthouse, and I'd be like, ‘I want to be there one day.' I never thought I'd become an elected official, but here we are.”
McCoy has been a resident of Granbury since 2014. She and her husband, Steve, have three children and eight grandchildren.
“I look forward to serving CTAT as treasurer,” McCoy stated in the newsletter. “I look forward to learning from the leaders in this association, and also connecting with new treasurers. I am grateful to serve as the Hood County treasurer for my community and the citizens. I absolutely enjoy the journey.”
She told the HCN, “I want to know that I've done the best job that I can do, no matter what.”
