Courthouse employee Anna Roberts retires
By KAREN KENNEDY Deputy Judge Executive Anna Roberts has a long history of working in key positions in Meade County and when one thinks of the people who are part of the solid foundation of our county, one can’t help but think of Roberts. Yet after so many years working for Meade County, Roberts has decided to retire on Sept. 30. Roberts began her career in Meade County working for the health department, where she was employed from 1958 to 1969. From 1969 to 1979, she worked in a brand new program at an outpatient mental health center, which was operated under the State’s Health Division. In 1979, Roberts moved up to the Meade County Courthouse, working as deputy judge-executive for a long line of county judge executives except for one brief period during that time when she returned to work for the health center. What many people may not realize is that, as deputy judge executive, Roberts is able to do anything a judge executive can do except perform marriage ceremonies and conduct Fiscal Court meetings. However, said Roberts, 90 percent of her job consists of human resources activities for county personnel, which includes record keeping and payroll activities. Since the early days of her employment, Roberts has seen quite a few changes come to Meade County, such as Planning and Zoning and mandatory garbage pickup. Payroll was originally done by hand on one sheet of paper and paid just 30 county employees. Payroll became computerized when Judge Executive Mark Brown was in office, and computerization made payroll much easier to keep up with, said Roberts. Today, over 100 paychecks are issued which translates into a $2 million per year county payroll. Despite the many changes she’s seen over the years, the one thing that hasn’t changed much is the quality of people. “I’ve always worked with great people and have been so fortunate in that sense,” said Roberts. “And I’ve worked with a lot of judges who all had different types of talents. It’s a demanding job, you have to be devoted to it, and you have to have an understanding family.” However, now it’s time to spend more time with family, said Roberts. She and her husband plan to do some traveling, and she’d like time to tackle some of those projects she’s always wanted to try but never had time to seriously consider. “I’ve always said when I have some free time I’ll make or do this or that,” said Roberts, “and now I’ll have time for those things.” Yet don’t be surprised if you still see her at the courthouse from time to time. Mandy (Swink) Sturgeon will take over the human resources aspect of Roberts’ job, but Roberts will continue to act as the deputy judge executive on a part-time, on-call basis. For as long as Roberts has worked at the courthouse, there’s little doubt her services will be needed on occasion and she’ll continue to be a familiar and welcome face in Meade County.
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