MONTICELLO — County Clerk Russell Reeves likes to say his office, which brings in approximately $6 million in revenue [annually] on the land side, and approximately $7 million at the DMV, “Doesn't have slow times, just busier times.”

Due to new legislation, most notably the Green Light Law, its safe to say now is one of those busier times.

And while a trial by fire may intimidate some, it doesn't bother newly appointed Deputy County Clerk Doreen Huebner.

Prior to taking this position, she served as the receiver of taxes in the Town of Thompson for 13 years, and before that, was the assistant comptroller at Ultra Power.

Thirteen years ago, when the receiver of taxes in the Town of Thompson passed away, Huebner was suddenly appointed to the position.

“I had to build the office from the ground up. I didn't have someone to come in and train me,” she explained. “I had to figure out how to collect the money in a timely and efficient fashion, and I think it's similar with the Green Light Law. We were thrown into it with no information, background, how we're supposed to do it, how we fund it and all the extra time it takes. You just have to make changes and grow with it. It's a constant learning experience and we have to figure out what works best, and the sooner the better.”

The clerk's office is also having to compete with the growing rate of online transactions at the DMV, where the money goes to the state instead of staying here in Sullivan County.

“It's a Catch-22, we're losing at both ends,” she said. “We'd like to see NYS raise our percentage of how much money they're going to give back to us. If there are online transactions, but they're generated in the county, we should still be getting that revenue. That would help us get more people to work, which would lessen the lines.”

Huebner prides herself on her experience working with people and being detail oriented, and felt the deputy county clerk position was a natural next step and a good fit.

“As someone who lives here, I feel like I have a part in trying to make government run a little smoother and more user friendly,” she said.

Her experience draws high praise from Reeves.

“This is a very important office with a tremendous amount of documents and things that happen here,” Reeves said. “Dory has the qualifications and the ability to bring the office where we need to go with it moving into the future. It's very important to have somebody that knows how to deal with the public … is honorable, ethical and capable. And these are all qualities I found in Dory and I'm happy she's come on board.”

Reeves added that Huebner's background at the Town of Thompson made her a great choice for the position because of her experience handling tax documents and interacting with the public.

As for the clerk's office's 2020 goals, Reeves said they want to make the office as easy as possible for the public to use. He also mentioned additional staffing for the DMV so they can make it easier to do renewals.

“We have a booth right now for registration only and plate returns but we don't have enough staff,” he said. “I want to expand that, so for simple transactions we can generate more revenue for the county and make it easier for our constituents to get in and out quickly.”

Reeves added he's looking forward to working with the new legislative body and he's hopeful that, “...they will bring us forward in a positive way.”

A personal goal for Huebner is the office continuing to move away from the use of paper which has caused storage issues in the past.

Huebner was also complimentary of the office employees, noting that while she's only been in the position a few weeks, she likes what she sees and that they're all great.

Huebner has been an active member of the Monticello Fire Department for 16 years, in which she has held many titles, including spending the last four years as the fire district secretary.

As for what she wants the public to know about her, Huebner said, “I'm approachable and always available to answer questions. We're [the clerk's office] here and working for them and we're trying to make our offices more efficient.”