Grundy County Auditor Alan Tscherter. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

GRUNDY CENTER – It’s been more than a dozen years since Grundy County has welcomed a new auditor, but this past January the baton was passed to Reinbeck native Alan Tscherter.

Early last fall, now retired Grundy County Auditor Rhonda Deters, a Republican, made her intentions to step down known to the board of supervisors who immediately went to work advertising the county’s need for applicants.

But filling Deters’ shoes proved to be no easy task and the board continued to seek qualified applicants well into the winter months.

During the board’s Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024 meeting, a second round of applications for the position of county auditor were reviewed by the supervisors who agreed to interview two additional candidates on Jan. 5.

The following week during the Jan. 8 meeting – Deters’ final meeting as county auditor – the supervisors approved a motion 5-0 to extend an offer to Candidate No. 22, Alan Tscherter.

Deters’ Jan. 12 resignation was subsequently accepted during the Jan. 15 meeting, after which Tscherter was appointed and administered the oath of office by Supervisor Barbara Smith.

Tscherter, a Republican, told the Sun Courier in a recent email he does plan to run for the position during the upcoming Nov. 2024 election.

Unlike Deters whose connections to the office of Grundy County Auditor ran deep, Tscherter said he is a fairly new face at the Courthouse in Grundy Center.

“I do not have any familial connections to Grundy County Government that I am aware of. My father Steve Tscherter was on various boards and committees in Reinbeck and the Cedar Valley throughout his career as CEO of Lincoln Savings Bank.”

Tscherter, 56, grew up in Reinbeck after his father moved the family to the community in 1979. He earned a bachelor’s degree in general studies with a business minor from the University of Northern Iowa in 1990.

“I currently live in Reinbeck,” Tscherter said. “I have been a mortgage loan officer with Lincoln Savings Bank since November of 2010 and was in the same industry since 2001. I am happily married to my wife Kimberly for 28 years and we have four sons – Jeff, Alex, Tyler and Nick. While raising our boys I enjoyed coaching various youth sports and recently became a football official and basketball referee.”

Tscherter said he has no plans to make any changes to the auditor’s office. Since his first day on Jan. 15, he has kept busy familiarizing himself with the many different duties and responsibilities of his office which include administering elections as the county’s elections commissioner.

“So far, I enjoy all the people working at the county building and the different items that come up every day. I am constantly learning new things.”

Tscherter said that his accomplished staff – assistants Rebecca Hager and Angela Martin, and real estate manager Aimee Winter – have all been helpful during the transition.

“There is a great deal of support from this group and I look forward to working with everyone.”

Tscherter’s office is located inside the Grundy County Courthouse at 706 G Avenue in downtown Grundy Center. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

He may be reached by email at alan.tscherter@grundycountyiowa.gov, or by phone at 319-824-3122.