City Auditor Ritzke named Employee of the Month

The man behind the utility bills that New Rockford residents receive in their mailboxes has been named the December Employee of the Month by the New Rockford Area Chamber of Commerce.

George Ritzke was hired to replace Frank Allmaras as the city auditor in 1994. The city commission was led by President Merv Bjornson and composed of Bruce Hagen, Wayne Lesmeister, Ken Fuhrman and Dennis Koenig at the time, and the city offices were located downtown in the 1914 city hall building.

Ritzke's duties include preparing utility bills and accepting payments from residents, taking minutes at city commission meetings, and processing all the city's accounting. He is also a member of the New Rockford Tree Board, a responsibility that is assigned to the auditor. Recording and referencing city ordinances is another big task that the auditor is assigned.

The person who nominated Ritzke wishes to remain anonymous, and wrote "This individual is a true professional. He has worked for the city for more than 20 years... and assists New Rockford citizens even when off work." As an example of his professionalism and dedication to his work, Ritzke has only missed one city meeting in 24 years on the job due to a death in the family.

"Congratulations, George. You deserve it!" said City Commission President Calvin Packard as he shook Ritzke's hand after hearing of the honor. Packard noted that Ritzke is a long-term resident and very community-minded individual who does a lot of work behind the scenes for the city.

The Ritzke family moved from Drake to New Rockford in 1968, and George has lived here since, graduating from New Rockford Central High School four years later.

In the 1990s when he began his tenure, all city business was hand-written. All city minutes were, of course, transcribed on a typewriter. Accounting was done on the big green ledgers with hundreds of little squares to line up the rows and numbers.

The water bills were prepared using a posting machine. The data came in on notebooks, as the meter reader would come into the basement or utility room of each home and business to record the reading on the meter each month.

The city offices moved to their present location on U.S. Hwy. 281 in 1997 or 1998.

The city had more employees in the '90s as well, as they had a police department and sanitation workers. Ritzke said he thinks it is positive for the city to contract for both services, as they are overall beneficial and more efficient.

He greets all who walk in the city office and pleasantly responds to their needs and concerns. He is also the receiver of complaints about city business, no doubt many over the years, as he answers all the calls that come in to the office.

Efficiency has been the focus, and with that big changes have come to the city offices within the past 10-15 years. Workers are now 65-75 percent finished installing radio read meters throughout the city. The reader will be able to drive through town and the system will read each meter remotely via a transmitter. The data will then be transferred to Ritzke's computer for processing of water bills via software.

Ritzke is also clerk of the New Rockford Park District, a position he accepted separately from his duties as auditor. He does all the accounting and recording of the minutes for the park board.

With the new year upon us, residents are encouraged to come into the city office and get new pet licenses for 2019. Bring your pet's vaccination record and $10, and a license will be issued that is effective for one year. Bicycles should also be licensed, as per new ordinances passed in 2017. Bring the details about your bicycle (brand, color, etc.) and pay the one-time $5 fee, and the bicycle will be licensed for as long as you own it.

The city is also working to make information and services available online for easier access by residents at any time. All the city ordinances are now online at http://www.cityofnewrockford.com, a feat that was accomplished about a year ago. Residents and property owners can also pay their utility bills online at officialpayments.com. Click the link on the city website to get connected with the system. The most recent addition was a Facebook page to post pertinent information about city business. Connect with the city by liking their page, City of New Rockford, ND.

The Chamber of Commerce welcomes nominations for the Employee of the Month award. Have you experienced great service or know someone who consistently works to ensure that his or her customers are satisfied? Submit a nomination by filling out the card in the table tents or on the bulletin boards at local businesses, or go online to http://www.cityofnewrockford.com/chamber and download a form to complete and return it to the Transcript office.