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Thursday, April 06, 2006

Ind. Courts - "New clerk may cost Martin County"

The Washington IN Times-Herald has an interesting story today, headlined "New clerk may cost Martin County," by Laura Thigpen. Some quotes (I've highlighted some portions) from the beginning of the lengthy story:

SHOALS — Martin County Circuit Court Judge Joe Howell asked the county council Tuesday for two more full-time and two part-time workers he said he needs at least until the end of the year.

While the judge and his staff are more than willing to work with the new county clerk and his staff, it’s just a reality the courthouse newcomers have no experience with the job, Howell said. That’s bad enough for the county and its taxpayers, particularly with an election coming up in May, for which the clerk’s office is responsible. Absentee voting starts Monday, and the new clerk, John Hunt, told him the election is Hunt’s priority, Howell explained.

But with an untrained and inexperienced staff, Hunt has also not been able to keep up with the second, equally important job of the county clerk’s office — processing court records in and through and back out of the office. In Indiana counties, the clerk serves both as the clerk of the county, running and managing local, state and national elections, but also as clerk of the circuit court, meaning they answer directly to Howell, who’s responsible for the records and documents flowing in and out. They also collect and distribute child support, another important task, the judge said.

“With the recent change in the clerk’s office, I met with the deputies and the clerk, and they readily admit they have no experience,” Howell told the seven-member council. “But since March 24, there has been nothing happening in the clerk’s office related to the court’s work.”

All court papers enter the system through either the court itself or through the clerk’s office, and all such documents leave through the clerk’s office. But since Linda Nolan, acting clerk of the county until noon on March 24, and her experienced staff quit their jobs that Friday, court records aren’t being filed, processed or documented, and Howell said court payments also aren’t being entered in a computer system that seemingly baffles the new clerk and his employees.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on April 6, 2006 01:25 PM
Posted to Indiana Courts