Circuit court clerk asks for full-time record-room position; request placed in supplemental budget

The clerk of the circuit court told supervisors March 11 that increased public demand for deed searches, title copies, marriage licenses and genealogical requests has created a backlog and strained front-counter service.

Ms. Mozingo described lengthy customer interactions at the clerk's counter, said attorneys and members of the public frequently require staff research assistance and asked the board to fund a record-room position to relieve counter staff. She said the workload sometimes requires one staffer to juggle counter duties and prolonged record searches and that the department has not had a reliable part-time record-room worker for years.

County staff clarified that the clerk's request for a full-time record-room position (noted as $40,000 in her packet) was submitted in the supplemental budget and therefore is not included in the operating-budget shortfall figure discussed earlier in the meeting. Supervisors and staff discussed the county's position-addition policy and reiterated that recurring positions normally require a recurring revenue source or board approval for ongoing funding; several board members said they would not approve one-time funding for a recurring position in the main operating budget without an identified ongoing funding source.

Ending: The clerk's position request remains in the supplemental/CIP packet for later consideration; staff asked the clerk to provide any additional workload metrics that would justify recurring funding and agreed to include the request in the supplemental review later in the budget process.