Clerk of courts warns committee of staffing strain after office restructure

Michelle Jacobs, Walworth County Clerk of Courts, told the Human Resources Committee that a restructuring completed earlier in the year has left her office with many newer employees and gaps in institutional knowledge that complicate daily operations and court scheduling.

"We're just under 6 months in operating under that new structure, and we've identified a couple areas that need to we need to reshift the focus of some of our clerks," Jacobs said. She said most clerks have two years or less of tenure, and only one person aside from the chief deputy has more than 10 years of experience in the office. Jacobs warned the committee she may return in July asking for the addition of an administrative position or deputy clerks to address the workload.

County corporation counsel told the committee the office had support from counsel and emphasized the operational risk: "This is, the analogy of, like, trying to spin a battleship," counsel said, urging the committee to recognize the complexity of maintaining court operations while training newer staff.

Members noted increases in workload: judges' time-study results were cited suggesting the county could use an additional judge, municipal courts have been folded into county dockets in some places, and related offices (district attorney, public defender) are adding personnel. The committee asked Jacobs to return with a concrete staffing proposal and cost estimate.

No formal action was taken; staff and counsel said they would continue to coordinate with the courts.