Schmoeckel set to retire after 26 years working for the City of Malta

For the past 26 years, if you have had business at the Malta City Hall, chances are that you know who Carolyn Schmoeckel is. Call her the City Clerk or call her the City Treasurer. Schmoeckel admitted that she's called worse in her time as a city employee. Nevertheless, she said she has loved working for the City of Malta and its people, but she has decided it is time to hang 'em up and is retiring.

"You know, I decided I am getting older and I want to be able to get out and do things while I still can," she said. "I don't want to be one of those people who sits in their recliner and says 'shoot, I wish I could go do this' or 'I wish I could go do that'."

Schmoeckel started working for the City of Malta, on a part-time basis, in 1988 as a CDBG Bookkeeper and Zoning Administrator. In 1992, she moved to fulltime status, taking on the duties as Water Clerk, Utility Clerk and Deputy Clerk with the city. In 2000, Schmoeckel became the City of Malta's Clerk/ Treasurer, a position she has held for the last 14 years. Of all the positions she has held with the city over her 26-year career, Schmoeckel said being the Water and Deputy Clerk were most likely her favorite.

"I had more people contact," she explained. "It wasn't as stressful as being the Clerk/Treasurer. I liked it when people would come in to visit. It was just a more laid-back position."

When Schmoeckel went from being the more "laid-back position" to her position as the Clerk and Treasurer, the stress of the job rose but the hardest part of holding the job was dealing with all the changes to laws and regulations associated with a government entity. She said she would spend a huge amount of time learning about a new change to this policy or that, only to have that policy completely change a year later.

"After a while you just say, ' hey, I'm getting too old, I can only absorb so much," she laughed.

Before starting her career with the City of Malta, Schmoeckel's job still had ties to the city. She worked for a now defunct company called Business Services. The company's objective was to work with the city in administering the Housing Rehabilitation Programs, which assisted people with low to moderate incomes with obtaining grants.

"It was very fulfilling," said Schmoeckel. "We got to help a lot of widows who wouldn't have been able to do upgrades on their homes otherwise."

Once the contracts with the Housing Rehab Program ran their course, Business Solutions moved away from Malta leaving Schmoeckel without a full time job. Going from a job in which she was assisting people to one in which she has had to enforce laws and make sure bills are paid in full and on time took some getting used to. Even if she got used to enforcing these things, she said sometimes it was the hardest part of the job she is now retiring from.

"Irate citizens are tough to deal with," said Schmoeckel. "I kind of have a reputation around town of being a pain, but I am not doing it out of orneriness, I am doing it to look out for the best interest of the city. I follow laws, codes regulations. That is just the way I am. If the law says someone cannot do something, then they cannot do it. It's nothing personal, but sometimes people take it personally."

Though she will not miss the irate folks, she will miss being around the public when she retires in a few weeks. When the first day of retirement does roll around, Schmoeckel said she wasn't sure what she will do.

"I'm really worried that when I wake up on September 26th and I don't have to go to work, well, what am I going to do with myself?" Schmoeckel said.

After she let her own question simmer for a few seconds, Schmoeckel rattled off nearly a half-dozen things she can do with herself in her newly found free time. Besides her 9-to-5, Schmoeckel is the President of the Judith River Foundation (Great Plains Dinosaur Museum), Secretary and Treasurer of American Legion Auxiliary as well as Immediate Past/Present President of the State of Montana's Clerks, Treasurers and Financial Officers Association.

"And then, don't forget, volunteer book keeper and bartender at the VFW," Schmoeckel said. "I guess I will stay fairly busy."

Besides the work she does with the organizations mentioned, Schmoeckel does have her eye on a personal project around her house that she has been wanting to get to and will now have the time to complete.

"I'm going to clean out the closets in my house," she said. "I know that sounds silly, but Vince (her husband of nearly 28 years) and I have a big house. But pretty soon one closet gets full of stuff and then the next closet gets full of stuff. Keep saying I am going to take DeeDee (her office mate) with me to be a Drill Sargent and she can shout at me 'get rid of that,' and 'throw that out'."

Carolyn and Vince have also committed to stay on as members of the dart teams they throw on, at least for this season. And after that?

Carolyn said she and Vince have kicked around the idea of becoming snow-birds, perhaps moving to Lake Havasu – she added that there are already nearly 70 people from Phillips County there in the winter – but nothing has been decided upon.

"One person in particular (Maynard LaFond) has really been twisting Vince's arm about it," she added. "But we are still undecided."

Besides fleeing Phillips County when the cold sets in, Carolyn and Vince have a wealth of children and grandchildren that they can dote upon in their newly found free time (Vince is retired from the Malta Irrigation District and Montana National Guard, though he still holds a handful of part time jobs around town and farms) Included is the newest grandchild, Cash Welch, who was born just six weeks ago (Cash is the son of Jerry and Beth Welch of Malta.) The Schmoeckel's have nine grandchildren total which are Ostin, Zach, Hailey (Jerry and Beth's older children), Tyler, Trevor, Joleen and Jenna Waters (Carolyn's daughter, Theresa's – also of Malta – children and grandson Dylan who attends Auburn University and is the son of Carolyn's daughter, Tina Jones of Billings.

"I'm sure that they can keep us busy," she said.

One of the more interesting transitions Carolyn and Vince will deal with in the coming months is spending much more time together.

"He's a little nervous," Schmoeckel admitted. "We aren't used to being around each other all day long so it is going to be trial and error for us."

A Retirement Party is to be held for Carolyn on September 18 at the Malta City Hall from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

"I hope I don't start crying," she said.