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Colorado County Treasurer Joyce Guthmann wears many hats. One for her role as treasurer, another for being the county’s safety officer and another for also working as their investment officer.
You would think someone with as little time as her would thrive, especially independently. Yet it was Guthmann’s efforts that secured Colorado County it’s 7th consecutive Excellence in Safety Award from the Texas Association of Counties Risk Management.
Despite receiving the award for seven years straight, by no means is the achievement an easy feat. Only 3% of all 254 Texas counties achieve this accomplishment yearly, highlighting just how difficult it is to continuously uphold the same high standards every year.
To qualify for the award, the county must participate in TAC RMP’s Workers’ Compensation Program, have a safety program or accident prevention plan and have an active safety committee. This is the highest honor a county can receive from the TAC RMP for its commitment to safety.
“Through its commitment to safe practices among county employees, Colorado County works to reduce employee injuries and obtain substantial savings for taxpayers by minimizing workers’ compensation costs,” said a press release by the TAC RMP. “The county is one of 12 TAC RMP members statewide who have earned this award.”
Guthmann says receiving the award this year feels the same as when she received the award for the very first time in 2018. The hard work and commitment it takes to sustain the level that she has for so long is no coincidence, with Guthmann attributing her drive and organization to consecutively receiving the award.
“The biggest part of the job for me is keeping the costs for taxpayers down,” said Guthmann. “When you keep those brackets down, the county saves money and you’re able to disperse that to other things. I stay on top of everything. When I receive anything, I instantly work on it to ensure it gets done immediately.”
Given that Guthmann operates all by herself in the position as treasurer in addition to her other heavy responsibilities, it makes her achievement all the more remarkable.
“I’m competing against all the counties in Texas like Fort Bend, Harris, the counties in Austin and Dallas,” said Guthmann. “But it’s just me for Colorado County. I’m the only staff member. I don’t postpone anything. I’m always on everything before I go home, that’s just my work ethic.”
