Hero Award Spotlight: Catherine McClary

There are several critical measures Catherine worked on this year specific to the COVID-19 pandemic and racial inequity that clearly distinguish her as an influencer whose leadership has led to recovery and renewal in her community. Safety requirements stemming from the pandemic gave her and staff an opportunity to rethink old business practices and provide an urgency to accept change. She led efforts to implement:

• Secure, online payments for delinquent taxes
• Safety monitor personnel at the front building door with masks for customers
• A secure window for transactional customer business and secure partitions for essential staff onsite
• Drop box improvements, coordinated with other departments, for timely receipt of deeds, tax payments, and election materials
• A phone tree, transfer system for phone calls, and mobile phones for staff
• Same day ACH for interim payroll
• A unique URL for tax and other payments

Catherine worked to motivate Washtenaw County Treasury staff to continue the Equity work begun prior to the pandemic by re-focusing efforts on two major Equity projects–Bridge Loans for Affordability and Home for Generations.