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Bartolac named director of new Johnson County department

On the final day of his elected office, former Johnson County Clerk John A. Bartolac was named Monday, January 10, as the director of the new office of Department of Records and Tax Administration for Johnson County.

The announcement was made by County Manager Michael B. Press.

“We are very happy to have John remain a member of the county’s management team. He has proven his dedication to county government and Johnson County citizens as both a county employee and an elected leader,” Press said.

“He has a wealth of experience and a well-rounded background in managing and maintaining of public records. We are looking forward to combining and streamlining the county’s records and tax administration under the new department with him on board as its director. It’s a good fit for both John and county government."

Bartolac, a resident of Olathe, was elected county clerk in November 2000, becoming the last publicly elected county clerk to serve in that role. His four-year term ended Monday along with the elected term of Register of Deeds Rebecca Davis.

Both positions changed Monday from elected posts to a combined appointed post by the county manager. The changes were authorized under the county’s Home Rule Charter, approved by a countywide vote in the 2000 elections. The office of County Treasurer also will no longer be an elected post under the charter, but that transition will not become effective until the end of the treasurer’s term in office.

The merger of the County Clerk and Register of Deeds offices is nearing completion, along with staff training, into the new Department of Records and Tax Administration under the direction of Bartolac.

The new county department will be located at the current sites of both the County Clerk and Register of Deeds offices by eliminating a shared wall and combining the departments into a single office on the first floor of the county’s Administration Building, 111 South Cherry Street, in downtown Olathe.

“This is an exciting time for Johnson County government. We are making history in that I am the last of 26 elected County Clerks going back to 1860,” Bartolac said. “We look forward to this change with optimism and confidence that we will better serve the citizens of Johnson County.”

A native of Kansas City, Kan., Bartolac attended St. Peter’s Cathedral School and graduated from Bishop Ward High School in 1976. He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1980 from Washburn University, Topeka, and completed training to become a Certified Public Manager in 2001 from the University of Kansas.

He has worked for local government since 1981, starting his career with Wyandotte County government, including serving as chief deputy treasurer. He joined the Johnson County Clerk’s Office in 1993 as a system specialist and was named the deputy county clerk in 1996.

Since being employed in Johnson County, he has served on the System Management Committee, Records Management Committee, Human Resources Impact Committee, and Enterprise Land Record Committee. He was the chairman of the county’s Feed the Need campaign in 2001 and is a member of the Kansas County Clerk and Election Officials Association.

Bartolac and his wife, Carol, have three daughters, Katie, a fourth-grade student, and twins, Megan and Annie, second-graders. The family has lived in Olathe since 1997 and in Johnson County since 1993.

 

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