Circuit clerk requests two positions and offers to fund them from her office; board asks finance to test options

Circuit Clerk McGrath addressed the board about two staffing requests. She said when she met with budget staff she committed that, if the county could award two positions, she would not ask for additional general‑fund dollars but instead would identify funding within her office through payroll and temporary lines; she said the requested positions were necessary to handle an anticipated wave of automatic expungement/expedited work directed by state law.

Board members sought clarification about the exact cost. McGrath and staff discussed a per‑position figure (one working figure presented in the meeting was $52,461 per position including benefits); there was some confusion during the verbal exchange over the arithmetic but McGrath reiterated her offer to work with budget staff to identify internal reallocations and to avoid a net increase in the county general‑fund deficit.

Budget director Travis said he would work with the circuit clerk to review specific line items (overtime, temporary staffing, contractual) to determine whether the two positions could be funded within the office’s existing budget envelope. Several board members expressed willingness to support the clerk if staff can demonstrate that the positions can be funded without adding to the county’s deficit.

Why it matters: The circuit clerk’s office performs legally required duties that can carry spikes in workload; staffing decisions affect the office’s ability to meet state‑imposed workloads and affect county payroll dynamics.

Next steps: Budget staff will meet with the circuit clerk to itemize lines and return with a specific, documented funding proposal for the two positions.