The County Treasurer plays a major role in local government by providing tax and revenue collection, banking services, cash and debt management, investment, financial reporting, and more.
An Elected Leader
Every county in Washington State has an elected Treasurer, except for King County who offers the Treasurer as an appointed position. The Washington State Constitution provides for a County Treasurer to be elected by the qualified voters of each county. In Clark County an elected Treasurer serves a term for four years and any person who is a qualified voter in the county may serve as County Treasurer.
COLLECT
$796.5 million in
property related taxes
INVEST
a portfolio with a
book value of $1.1 billion
BANK
and process nearly
$9.6 billion in transactions
MANAGE DEBT
totaling $1.4 billion on behalf of districts
What We Do
Property Tax Collection
Property tax billing and collection is a function of the tax service division of the Treasurer's Office. Washington State law directs this work (RCW 84.56). In addition, we process and collect real estate excise tax (RCW 82.45 and 82.46), gambling tax, as well as additional assessments.
Investment Pool
The Clark County Investment Pool invests cash reserves for all county departments and approximately 40 public entities, such as school, fire, cemetery, water and sewer, and other special purpose districts. The pool’s primary investment objectives are safety, liquidity, and return. The pool is only allowed to invest in certain types of highly rated securities.
Cash Management
The Treasurer assures the safekeeping of public funds as required by law by selecting a primary depository bank, maintaining records of all the deposits and withdrawals, and reconciles all bank statements.
Debt Management
The Clark County Treasurer's Office finance team manages debt on behalf of the county and its junior taxing districts which include school, fire, and library districts, as well as other special purpose districts. All debt is approved by the district’s governing board and/or by voter approval.
Office Budget
The Treasurer’s Office team calculates the cost to provide services and submits that amount in a budget request to the Clark County Council annually. The Clark County Council is responsible for approving all budget appropriations for the county departments and elected offices. Although the council sets the budget amount for the Treasurer's Office, by law they can not dictate how funds are spent, that is the responsibility of the elected Treasurer.
Treasurer's Office 2020 vs. 2021 Budget to Actual
Totals are for General Fund & Treasurer's O&M Fund |
2021 Expenses by Type
Staffing by Division
Administration
3 FTE
Finance
6.25 FTE
Tax Services
14 FTE
Administration
The administration division of the Treasurer's Office coordinates and manages treasury functions while acting in supporting roles such as governance, policy development, internal controls, and more.
Alishia Topper, County Treasurer
Ms. Topper was elected Clark County Treasurer in November 2018 and took her oath of office on December 31, 2018. Before being elected Treasurer, Topper worked as the Tax Service Manager for the Clark County Treasurer’s Office and was responsible for the billing and collection of $792 million in taxes and assessments. In addition to her treasury work, Topper was elected to two terms as a Vancouver City Councilmember and resigned her position to serve as Treasurer. Topper was appointed by Governor Jay Inslee and now serves as a commissioner of the Washington State Housing Finance Commission. Topper also served as Board Chair of Columbia Credit Union, governing over $1.4 billion in assets. Topper holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Portland State University, two undergraduate degrees from Washington State University and is Certified as a Public Funds Investment Manager (CPFIM).
Sara Lowe, Chief Deputy Treasurer
Ms. Lowe has been the Chief Deputy Treasurer for the Clark County Treasurer’s Office since December 2015. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science with a minor in sociology from Western Washington University. Before becoming the Chief Deputy Treasurer, Lowe was a senior budget policy analyst in the Clark County budget office. Previously, she was the principal financial analyst for the City of Portland’s central budget office. In that capacity she oversaw finances of multiple divisions with a combined annual budget of more than $450 million. Before working for the City of Portland, Lowe served as central budget office operations manager and Information Technology budget manager at the Washington State Employment Security Department. Lowe is also past vice president and president of the Southwest Washington chapter of the Washington Finance Officers Association, 2017-2019, and recently began serving on the Professional Sustainability Committee.
Nashida Cervantes, Administrative Assistant
Ms. Cervantes has been the Administrative Assistant for the Treasurer’s Office since April 2020. She earned an Associate in Arts degree from Clark College. Previously, Cervantes was an office assistant in the Clark County Human Resources department. Before coming to Clark County, she was an operations analyst for the Wells Fargo Corporate Office. She brings with her a range of collective administrative experiences including over 20 years of customer service support.