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Clerk of courts warns office is short‑staffed; may have to relinquish probate register duties
Summary
Marge, clerk of courts, told the Sawyer County Public Safety Committee her civil small claims clerk is on 12‑week FMLA maternity leave and has indicated she may not return; Marge said staffing gaps could force the county to appoint a new register in probate unless an interim hire can be brought in.
Marge, clerk of courts, told the Sawyer County Public Safety Committee that her civil small claims clerk is on a 12‑week maternity (FMLA) leave and has repeatedly indicated she may not return.
"I don't believe that my civil small claims clerk is coming back," Marge said, adding that the office is short‑staffed and staff morale is low. Marge said her office is covering criminal, civil and probate caseloads with limited clerks and that covering courtroom duties on days with multiple courtrooms (including a multi‑day jury trial on July 14) is stretching staff capacity.
Marge said she would prefer to avoid it but warned that if staffing does not improve she may have to withdraw as the county’s register in probate, which would require the county to appoint and fund a full‑time replacement. She asked the committee to consider bringing in an interim hire and noted a criminal clerk hire is scheduled to begin July 27.
County staff present told the committee they have been recruiting for the vacant position for months and have a candidate starting later this month; the clerk said cross‑training and written procedures have reduced transition time, but training a new interim to be fully effective would likely take a couple of weeks.
The committee did not take a formal vote on staffing during the meeting. Members and staff agreed to discuss interim hiring options after the session.
