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Committee tables Clerk of Court annual report pending breakdown of small-claims and paternity figures
Summary
Adams County’s Clerk of Court will return next month with a revised annual report showing a breakdown between small claims and paternity case figures after the Public Safety and Judiciary Committee voted to table the item.
The Adams County Public Safety and Judiciary Committee voted to table the Clerk of Court’s annual report until next month after the clerk requested additional data showing the breakdown between small claims and paternity case filings.
Clerk of Court Miranda Christiansen told the committee that the overall dataset and final totals were accurate but that she needed to present a further breakdown to distinguish how much of a figure represented small claims versus paternity matters. “That entire figure itself as a whole is accurate. It’s just making sure that they’re in the correct giving you the further breakdown,” Christiansen said.
Committee members asked several questions about line items in the annual report. Members observed that court service fees were roughly in line with last year’s totals; Christiansen said last year’s court service fee was $214,520.73 and that the current figure is approximately $222,000. Committee members also pressed on a change in the trust balance tied to foreclosure sales; Christiansen explained that funds placed in trust following sheriff sales are often held up to 90 days while owners may reclaim funds, which causes variability in year-end balances. She said a judge previously ordered extended hold on funds in a civil foreclosure action, which produced a larger balance in the prior year.
Supervisor Larry moved to table the annual report until the next meeting so the clerk could supply the requested breakdown; Supervisor Scott seconded. The motion passed by voice vote with no recorded opposition.
The committee noted the Clerk of Court’s monthly filings remain “in line” for the time of year, with nearly identical traffic and small-claims counts between February 2024 and February 2025 in the clerk’s submitted dataset; Christiansen provided supporting extracts aimed at verifying the data.
The tabled annual report will be returned to the committee with the additional breakdown and then forwarded to the full County Board as required.
