EDWARDSVILLE - The Republican candidate for Madison County treasurer says the office is the most costly county treasurer's office in Illinois on a per capita basis.

Kurt Prenzler said this week he would cut the size and budget of the office by 30 percent within 30 days of becoming treasurer.

Prenzler raised the same issue when he ran for the office in 2006. He says the office has a payroll of nearly $1.046 million this fiscal year, with per-capita costs more than two and one-half times that of McLean County and more than three times those of Champaign or Winnebago counties.

Frank Miles is the appointed treasurer and Democratic candidate for the office in the November election. He said Prenzler "doesn't know or doesn't understand our responsibilities or the services we provide here."

Miles said that, unlike the offices cited by Prenzler, the treasurer's office in Madison County handles payroll and related matters for 1,200 county employees, and offers convenient property tax payment plans that are a boon to taxpayers but require additional work.

Miles said responsible cost cutting requires careful analysis and said his budget request for the next fiscal year would reflect new cost-cutting measures.