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Circuit clerk reports staffing shortfall, $1.6 million in recent grants and trouble recruiting at $17/hour
Summary
Circuit Clerk Greg delivered monthly revenue and caseload figures and told the committee his office is short two positions, is having difficulty recruiting at $17 an hour, and has received roughly $1.6 million in technology and other grants over the past four years.
Circuit Clerk Greg (Circuit Clerk) told the LaSalle County Finance & Judiciary Committee the circuit clerk’s office collected $241,264 for the county in August, paid $70,005.92 to outside agencies and recorded $17,917 in other collections. He said 1,228 cases were filed in the month, 1,409 cases closed and 237 remain open. Orders of protection tally about 626 for the year.
Greg said his office is operating with two open positions and is struggling to recruit qualified staff at the current starting pay of $17 an hour. He told the committee his office received roughly $1,600,000 in grants over the past four years, including technology grants that have supported the office’s operations, and that he expects grant amounts to be “drastically decreased” in the next funding round.
The clerk described the job as specialized—“we're the glue for anything that starts in court” — and said duties include setting court dates, notifying parties and handling sensitive casework across civil, criminal and traffic dockets. He said other counties are hiring entry-level clerks at $20–$21 an hour because many positions require paralegal-level skills.
Committee members pressed Greg about pay and staffing options. Greg said he cannot combine the two openings because the office operates in two buildings and across roughly a dozen functional areas; some positions are specialized for traffic, civil or criminal work. He said his office uses comp time rather than overtime and that supervisors step in when staffing gaps appear; comp time, he added, reduces immediate county payroll costs but creates additional time-off liabilities.
Greg said he recently attended circuit clerk training events in Springfield and Lombard, and he noted he will be meeting state representatives and senators to discuss concerns such as fee waivers and unfunded mandates that affect office revenue.
The committee moved to approve Greg’s report during the meeting; the motion was seconded and recorded as carried.
Ending: The committee recorded Greg’s report and approved payment of the bills related to the clerk’s office. Greg and commissioners flagged recruitment and compensation as ongoing issues to watch while the office awaits changes to state grant allocations.
