On June 8, voters in Oxford County will have the opportunity to slightly reduce their county tax burden by voting “yes” on the question which asks if the part-time county treasurer should be appointed, rather than elected.

In earlier days, the treasurer’s job as an elected official had relevance to the public interest — when county government was a part-time avocation. However, the elected, part-time treasurer is now irrelevant in today’s world of full-time trained employees, electronic bookkeeping, online banking, standardized accounting practices, public audits and legally mandated disclosure of financial information to anyone upon request.

The elimination of this figurehead position will save $20,000 per year in a multimillion-dollar county budget. Is it a drop in the bucket? Yes. But that same bucket is filled with many drops — most of which cannot be eliminated. At least this one can, and should.

That is why I support a “yes” vote on June 8, and why I originally voted as a county commissioner to place this referendum on the ballot.

David Duguay, Byron

Oxford County commissioner