Circuit clerk details staff, reporting and revenue pressures tied to new laws
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Summary
Circuit Clerk Teresa Barrerio told the board the clerk's office remains the hub of court operations, described staffing shortages and technical demands, and reported declining fee revenue and rising appeal and reporting workloads driven by statutory changes.
Teresa Barrerio, circuit clerk for the 16th Judicial Circuit, told the Kane County Committee of the Whole on Feb. 13 that her office performs core recordkeeping, financial and operational duties for the courts and is experiencing staffing and revenue pressures tied to new laws and workload increases.
Barrerio said the clerk’s office maintains court records, collects and distributes court money, manages 32 courtrooms across multiple locations and supports remote proceedings. She cited legal authorities governing the office — including the Illinois Constitution (Article VI, Section 18) and 705 ILCS 105 — and said staff must comply with reporting and integration requirements from the Administrative Office of Illinois Courts (AOIC).
Why it matters: Circuit clerk duties underpin court functioning. Barrerio told the board that appeals and reporting requirements have increased since 2023, driven by the Pretrial Fairness Act and new statutory processes; she said appeals doubled from 2023 to 2024 and weekend/holiday coverage for initial appearances has grown.
Barrerio said the clerk’s office has about 51 unionized staff and 27 nonunion managers and supervisors; she reported vacancies and said starting salaries have constrained recruitment. She also told the board that daily revenue collections have fallen from pre‑2020 levels (previously over $50,000 per day) to about $25,000 per day and that fee-waiver practices — governed by statute and by appointment rules for indigent defendants — affect revenue.
On technology and operations, Barrerio said clerks use multiple platforms per court call and that integration failures require daily corrections to ensure case-management accuracy. She urged the board to consider staffing and technology needs when planning the county budget.
Quote: “Without the clerk’s office, the courts would not function as efficiently and the public would face significant delays in accessing file documents,” Barrerio told the committee.
