Washita County Clerk, Kristen Dowell, has announced she will be filing for another four year term once the filing period begins on April 3, 2024.
Dowell began her career with the County Clerk’s Office in 2007 and was first elected in November 2012 to serve as the Washita County Clerk beginning in January 2013.
During her time as the County Clerk several changes have been made to enhance the services provided by the office including the land records being digitized and placed online, the establishment of a direct deposit option for payroll, and updating the purchasing, payroll, inventory, and land records software.
“It is important to keep all systems updated and to implement changes which increase the efficiency of the services provided to the citizens of Washita County while complying with legislative changes”, said Dowell.
As the County Clerk, Dowell is responsible for overseeing the recording of land record documents, the preservation of recorded documents, the purchasing of goods and/or services for all county funded departments, accounts payable and balances for all departments, and payroll for all county employees.
Also as part of her clerk duties, Dowell serves as the County Purchasing Agent and Secretary of the Board of County Commissioners of Washita County, Washita County Excise Board, Washita County Equalization Board, Washita County Tax Roll Corrections Board, and the Washita County Public Facilities Authority.
Dowell also serves as the Secretary of the County Clerks and Deputies Association of Oklahoma, as the Treasurer of the County Officers and Deputies Association of Oklahoma, and as a board member of the OSU-County Training Program Advisory Board for County Clerks.
Dowell credits the success of her office to the willingness of the employees to learn how county government works, ability to adapt to change, working together as a team, and going above and beyond to serve the public. “Our team truly cares about the best interest of the taxpayers and that is very important to me. It is an honor to represent the citizens of Washita County, not only within Washita County but as a part of the state associations also. I am graciously asking for the support of the citizens of Washita County and am looking forward to continuing to serve Washita County for another four years.”, said Dowell.