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Clerk of Superior Court details vacancies, jury workload and moves toward digital transcripts
Summary
Val Wyatt, county Clerk of Superior Court, told the Board of Supervisors the clerk’s office has filled most vacancies but must tackle retention and a transition to digital recording and transcription while maintaining jury administration and community outreach.
Val Wyatt, Coconino County Clerk of Superior Court, told the Board of Supervisors her office is recovering from a string of vacancies and is shifting more work to digital systems while maintaining in‑person public service.
Wyatt said the clerk’s office is now a team of 25 and that 9 of 11 prior vacancies have been filled; she warned, however, that several trained staff are leaving for higher pay elsewhere and emphasized retention as a top concern. “I’m going to shout from the rooftops: pay my department the most,” she said, noting comparable salaries elsewhere as a retention challenge.
Nut graf: The clerk asked the board to approve a one‑time use of forfeiture fund balance to restore limited travel funds and said the office will continue a multi‑year transition to digital evidence and draft transcription while carrying out jury management, late/birth‑certificate assistance and outreach through the justice bus.
Wyatt described several operational priorities:
- Staffing and retention: The office has filled most vacancies but still faces turnover. Wyatt flagged two experienced employees leaving for out‑of‑state positions; she recommended attention to compensation to keep trained staff.
- Jury administration and grand jury: The clerk’s office handles summonsing, qualification and payment of jurors. Wyatt noted court reporters are required for grand jury proceedings and court reporter shortages nationwide are straining operations. The office is piloting vendor-assisted automated transcripts and a system that links audio to text for review.
- Digital evidence and service expansion: The clerk is implementing an AOC (Administrative Office of the Courts) digital evidence rollout (civil, family, mental health, juvenile case types) and expanding e‑filing and sealed‑case workflow. The office supports CJCC’s justice bus outreach and added civil name‑change services at Tuba City after an outreach event found unmet need.
- Grants and outreach: Wyatt described pursuit and receipt of grants (including jury, security and child‑support technology projects) and asked to use $15,000 from a bond forfeiture special‑revenue balance for travel and association work; county management recommended that travel request.
Ending: Wyatt asked the board to note the clerk’s operational challenges and thanked staff; supervisors asked staff retention and compensation questions and expressed support for the justice‑bus hardening of services such as late birth‑certificate assistance.
