Clark County clerk argues to remain elected as court seeks appointment; officials debate OnBase vs. Odyssey costs

Scott, the Clark County clerk, told the council on July 16 that his office should remain an elected position and argued the change to an appointed clerk would threaten the clerk’s independence. “The bottom line is that the appointed clerk will have difficulty saying no to whatever appointing authority orders, even if that order is unwise, not in the public’s interest, or in a rare occasion unlawful,” Scott said.

The issue came during an information item requested by the council after Superior Court presented a proposal last week to change the clerk from an elected to an appointed position. Scott reviewed historical context and technology changes his office has pursued, saying the 1889 framers of the Washington Constitution intended records responsibilities to be in an elected office and that electronic imaging modernization would have been harder if the clerk were not independent.

Charlene Huffman, Chief Deputy County Clerk, contested several assertions from the Superior Court presentation and defended the clerk’s management choices and costs. “The clerk's office budget for OnBase is approximately 180,000 for 2025 and is budget neutral as licenses purchased by outside entities cover the cost,” Huffman said. She told the council that a switch to the state's Odyssey (spelled in materials as Odysee) system would require substantial additional staffing, and she cited an Administrative Office of the Courts analysis that moving to Odyssey could require roughly 10 additional positions and two more permanent managers, costing “approximately $900,000 per year to the county in salaries.”

Huffman said the clerk’s office has already reduced paper and implemented electronic access to records and disputed claims that the office’s public hours or imaging choices materially harm litigants’ access to court. She also said some courts elsewhere resisted modernization; she cited a state Supreme Court ruling that record-keeping authority rests with clerks, not judges, in disputes over paper versus electronic records.

Council members asked for clarifications about OnBase licensing across county departments. Huffman answered that the clerk’s portion is about $180,000 for 2025 and that combined superior court and juvenile department licenses for certain functions are roughly $22,000; she also said countywide OnBase licensing for legal/justice users totals about $37,000 and that outside governmental agencies pay discounted license fees. A county staff member said earlier that annual OnBase licensing and support tallied $156,023 over a three-year period, $282,000 in 2024, and $351,000 through June of the current year, and that the county IT director would provide further clarification.

No formal vote or direction on changing the clerk’s status occurred at the meeting. The council heard the information and asked staff to provide additional budget and licensing detail as needed.