County clerk reports Q3 workloads, warns of municipal clerk shortages; pilot onboarding program planned

The Marathon County clerk gave a quarterly update on Nov. 1 that highlighted front‑line office workloads and a growing shortage of municipal clerks across towns in the county.

The clerk reported processing 262 marriage licenses and 204 passport applications in the quarter and said the office handled 46,192 pieces of mail at a postage cost of $37,526.94. "One thing that is not getting cheaper is mail," the clerk said, noting the county is adopting eCertify for certified mailings to reduce costs by roughly $2 per certified letter.

The clerk also described recent work preparing tax-deed parcels, attendance at an election‑administration conference, and ongoing engagement on statewide election legislation. The clerk said municipal clerks—particularly in towns—are quitting quickly due to workload and lack of support: "Since April in Marathon County, we've had 4 of our new municipal clerks already quit."

To respond, the county clerk and partners are developing a pilot onboarding and training program for municipal clerks to improve retention and provide peer support. The clerk said the program is being developed with Jackie Beyer from the towns association, colleagues in neighboring counties and municipal clerks and that the county plans to share a pilot statewide if successful.

What’s next: The clerk will continue outreach and training work; the committee acknowledged postage and staffing pressures and thanked staff for the update.