Roger Fraser’s first few months on the job as Cass County Administrator weren’t exactly a cakewalk.

Fraser began his position in December, only a few months removed from the resignation of not only his predecessor, Louis Csokasy, but of the contractor who handled the county’s finances. Both of these departures were only a few weeks before the beginning of the fiscal year, and the adoption of a new budget.

“The leadership within the staff who puts all that together was gone,” Fraser said. “So it fell to everybody else to do that, and there was a sort of chaotic process.”

With a new county budget on the horizon, Fraser and his deputy administrator, Angie Steinman, are looking ahead to tackle the ongoing issues within the county.

Fraser was the guest speaker at this week’s meeting of the Dowagiac Rotary Club, which took place Thursday. Introducing Fraser was Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz, the former president of the local service organization.

“There are 83 counties in Michigan and most of them now have administrators,” Fitz said. “It’s a wise decision by commissioners such as Bob Wagel and others to hire them, as they realize how complex and important local government is that there’s a wise need to have somebody coordinate not only the financial end but also the vision of the county.”

Fraser, a veteran of the armed forces, has over 40 years of experience managing at the city and county government level, including nine years as the city administrator of Ann Arbor. Fraser is also a longtime Rotarian, and a recent inductee to the Dowagiac club.

The administrator discussed the upcoming budget, which was presented to the Cass County Board of Commissioners later that evening.

“We’re still not where we need to be in terms of having everything balanced, but we’re substantially better than we were a year ago,” Fraser said. “Our focus for the coming year will be to find ways to become more efficient, to become more effective and to do it a reduced cost.”

This new focus is a result of not only the work of Fraser and Steinman, but also due to increased collaboration between other department heads, Fraser said.

“We have been sitting together, monthly, since I got here and working together to understand what our financial circumstances are and try ing to identify what we need to do in the future to make sure we live within our means and that we optimize the services that our citizens receive,” he said.