December was one of the busiest months of the year for the Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Civil Office as deputies worked continuously on property tax collections. Three deputies stood out among their peers for their dedication.

Sheriff Mark Herford gave special credit to Deputies Savannah Marler, Tina Novak and Joni Manuel this week, crediting the women with Deputy of the Month honors for their tireless work.

“Although it is different recognizing multiple deputies for Deputy of the Month, it was clear that all three were a huge part of the operations at the civil office, and were responsible for the office not skipping a beat during the month of December,” Herford said.

Herford said the three deputies continuously stepped up to all the challenges the Civil Office experienced during December by not only working to collect property taxes, but also by handling several other office duties at the same time without being asked — which included training two new employees.

Marler joined the civil office after graduating from East Beauregard High School in 2018. She oversees criminal court and cash bond funds, along with several other duties.

Novak is a 1991 graduate of Rosepine High School and became a civil deputy in April 2020. Her initial duties included providing assistance at the front desk, and those responsibilities have grown to include processing papers for service and overseeing civil scan and redemption funds. She also handles the department insurance.

Manuel joined the civil office in December 2019. She graduated from East Beauregard High School in 2016 and earned an associate’s degree in accounting from Sowela Technical Community College. Manuel serves as a sales tax deputy, collecting and processing all sales tax returns for the parish.

Herford credited the women’s dedication in helping the civil office service the community during its most trying time.

“With these three ladies’ willingness to always help where needed, hard work, patience and dedication, our office was able to operate smoothly despite the challenges we faced,” Herford said.