Muskegon County clerk outlines plan to restore passport service, pursue unpaid court bonds and expand fingerprinting and elections work

County Clerk Karen Wood told the Muskegon County Community Development and Strategic Planning Committee on May 15 that her office’s multi-year plan will seek to reestablish passport services, strengthen collections on outstanding court bond forfeitures, expand fingerprinting services and keep elections programming in-house.

The plan matters because the clerk’s office oversees a mix of vital records and circuit court filings that generate service revenue and public-facing functions. Restoring passport processing and adding services, Wood said, would increase county convenience and revenue while expanded fingerprinting and expungement clinics aim to improve access to services for residents.

Wood summarized the clerk and circuit court records work, saying the office issues marriage and birth records, death records and certificates, concealed weapons permits, vehicle titles, notary services and handles circuit court filings such as divorces, personal protection orders and civil cases above $25,000. She said passports were once a “huge revenue source” but were moved out of the clerk’s office and are now handled in a different county building and later by the City of Muskegon. “We are now in the process of reestablishing the process due to state to get back our passport certification,” Wood said.

On collections, Wood said judges sometimes close cases while bond forfeitures remain outstanding and the clerk’s office lacks a dedicated staff position to pursue those funds. She said the office hopes the commission will approve a shared financial position to devote time to recouping those monies. Wood said staff have recovered a “substantial amount” through other efforts but did not provide a specific dollar total during the presentation.

Wood said the clerk’s office will host quarterly expungement clinics coordinated with the Michigan State Police, the local bar association and community partners and that a recent Michigan State Police grant supplied fingerprinting machines. That equipment will be used to provide juvenile fingerprinting in the circuit court office and to offer on-site fingerprinting at training facilities and, she said, with local schools to expand revenue and service reach.

On elections, Wood said elections coordinator Lori Hayes completed training to program elections locally, allowing the county to stop hiring an outside vendor for programming. “This past May election was actually programmed … under her jurisdiction,” Wood said, and that change will save the county an estimated $30,000 to $50,000 annually. She also said the county will evaluate new voting equipment at a clerks’ convention in June and is exploring online campaign finance filing to improve transparency and public access to historical filings.

Committee members responded that the initiatives align with the committee’s goals of increased revenue, improved community services and better collaboration. No formal decisions were made at the meeting beyond receiving the informational presentation; the clerk identified actions she intends to pursue, some of which will require future staff requests or board approval.

Wood’s presentation included references to a grant from the Michigan State Police for fingerprint equipment and to state-level decisions that previously moved passport processing out of the clerk’s facility. Committee members asked for the clerk to return with details if and when she requests new positions or budget adjustments.

The committee met at 4:35 p.m. and the clerk’s presentation lasted through the first portion of the meeting’s informational items. Ending: Committee members thanked Wood for the presentation and had no motion attached to the informational strategic plan update.