Of the $1.5 million in budget cuts approved Monday by Douglas County commissioners, a standoff over a $10,000 suggestion could end up costing treasurer Pat Wells and her customers even more.

As expected, commissioners said they would close the treasurer’s satellite office in Baldwin, where about 6,000 county residents paid their taxes and registered their vehicles last year.

But because Wells refused to consider a plan that would have kept the services in Baldwin — to be handled by Baldwin city employees at City Hall — commissioners now say they will consider closing Wells’ other two satellite stations in Lawrence, plus strip her role as the county’s investment officer.

“I’m very disappointed in our treasurer,” Commissioner Charles Jones said at the close of a budget-cutting hearing at the county courthouse. “This is an attitude of disregard for the public interest, in my opinion. It’s not this particular lease. It’s an attitude.”

Added Commissioner Bob Johnson, who represents Baldwin and has registered his vehicles at the Baldwin station: “We obviously have a treasurer who isn’t willing to be playing on our team, for the citizens of Douglas County. And that really disappoints me.”

Wells, for her part, said she opposed the county’s plan for a simple reason: It would be against the law. By law, only county treasurers can accept tax payments and other county business.

But commissioners had a bill ready to submit to the Legislature that would have sought to change that.

Closing the satellite office is expected to save the county $17,500 this year and another $28,000 next year, mostly by cutting the treasurer’s staff by one and canceling the office lease. The county then would pay about $10,000 a year to hire the city of Baldwin to do the work.

Wells wouldn’t buy it, saying she had concerns about state law, privacy and other complications.

“I think we need to control it in the treasurer’s office,” she told commissioners.

¢ 6News video: $1.5 million to be cut from budget

That drew criticism from commissioners, who already had endorsed making sweeping cuts that would slash nearly $1.5 million from other county departments, whose leaders had lent support to the county’s budget plight.

Plans for a $560,000 storage-maintenance building at the Douglas County 4-H Fairgrounds will wait at least a year. The street budget will lose $150,000. The zoning office will lose an employee and $1,000 for overtime.

Earlier in the meeting, commissioners reviewed a new investment policy to govern the county’s management of idle funds. The policy came about after an audit determined that Wells had improperly secured county funds, and that she had left blank, signed checks in the office for others to write on the county’s accounts.

Commissioners would have approved the new policy earlier Monday morning, but Wells had not completed a portion of it that would have outlined specific responsibilities.

Among the policy’s stipulations: that Wells, as treasurer, serve as investment officer. During the hearing, Jones suggested that responsibility be turned over to Pam Madl, the county’s director of administrative services.

Such discussions will come in the months ahead. Commissioners will consider making Monday’s cuts official during their next meeting, set for 9 a.m. next Monday at the courthouse, 1100 Mass.