By Kate Seegraves

Staff Writer

The city of New Carlisle has filled its vacancy for income tax administrator, after longtime employee Elizabeth Spears retired at the end of April.

Dayton resident Michael Voelkl was selected from a pool of seven applicants to replace Spears, according to city manager Kim Jones. Voelkl’s extensive knowledge of city income taxes gave him an edge over the competition, she said.

“They were all very qualified, but (Voelkl) was the most qualified,” she said. “He has lots of income tax experience and a lot of local city government experience. He’s highly educated, and we were lucky to get him.”

Voelkl previously worked as the income tax administrator for the city of Dayton, a position he held from 1971 until 2003, when he retired.

“I was retired for a bit, and I didn’t like that,” he said. “Then I tried some other things I didn’t like, so when this opportunity came along, I thought I’d get back into the business again. I missed this, and I missed working.”

As income tax administrator, Voelkl’s primary duty is the collection of the municipal income tax. It’s a position that comes with a lot of responsibility, Jones said.

“The city functions on the money we get from the income tax,” she said. “If we didn’t have it, the city would hardly be able to do street repairs or run the city. He’s in charge of that whole department, of overseeing people who have questions or people who are non-compliant, anything like that.”

Voelkl also hopes to make practical changes in the department as needed to make it more effective.

“I’m not going to make changes just for changes’ sake,” he said. “The basics of municipal income tax are the same regardless of where you are. What I hope my experience brings to New Carlisle is (a way to) create efficiencies in the process while I’m here.”

Voelkl’s position also involves interaction with the public, making sure citizens and businesses are compliant with their income taxes.

“Compliance is a big part of the job,” he said. “In my way of thinking, it may be the most important part of the job. The attitude I had in Dayton, and what I’m bringing with me here, is that if you have people who try to do what they’re supposed to do, that makes the job easier.”

With Voelkl at the helm, Jones says the city will be paying closer attention to income tax filings in the future.

“We are going to be looking into non-filers and those who are non-compliant more intently,” she said. “We’re going to try and make people realize we are serious about people paying their taxes. It’s very crucial to the operation of the city that we have that.”

Voelkl said he is excited to work for the city of New Carlisle and hopes to make a positive impact. He also affirmed a commitment to working with its residents.

“One thing I should say is if there is anybody who’s having a problem, don’t ignore it,” he said. “Work with us and we’ll get it taken care of. I won’t say it will be an enjoyable trip to the tax office, but if people come and talk to us, we’ll try to make it as painless as possible.”