County clerk outlines election workload, digitization plans and staffing challenges

Bonnie Shealy, Grand Traverse County clerk, briefed the board on the clerk’s office responsibilities, recent revenues and plans for digitizing historic records.

Shealy said the clerk’s office collected $703,716.77 in fines and court costs that pass through the court system and reported an elections operating outlay of about $218,000 in 2024. She described the office’s many statutory duties and noted that some services generate revenue (for example, certified copies).

Shealy said the office is the county’s “front porch” for many services and highlighted staffing challenges: multiple recent hires in the vital records office left before their one-year mark, creating a training burden and risk to institutional knowledge. She and her chief deputy discussed efforts to digitize older books and records; Shealy said a vendor quote to finish imaging the historic courthouse collection would cost roughly $100,000 and that quotes to digitize other bound volumes were substantially lower but would require off-site preservation work.

Shealy also alerted commissioners to an expected state requirement to acquire new, state-certified election equipment ahead of the 2028 cycle. She said clerk and township clerks meet monthly to coordinate and that the clerk’s office plans to involve township clerks and deputies in any major election-equipment selection process.

What’s next: Shealy said the clerk’s office will bring a proposed imaging project to the board and continue monthly coordination with local clerks and partners; commissioners asked the administration to consider digitization priorities in light of space and upcoming facility planning.