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Clerk of Courts will stop manual e-filing of POWTS citations; Committee seeks interim plan and 2027 budget adjustment
Summary
Clerk of Courts Brenda Behrle told the Committee she will no longer accept POWTS citations that are not e-filed, estimating about 26 hours of prior entry work and roughly $500 a year if her office absorbed the duty; Administrative Coordinator Tracy Hartman said budget and staffing should follow duties and will work with Corporation Counsel on an interim plan through 2026 and a longer-term plan for 2027.
The County’s Clerk of Courts, Brenda Behrle, told the Executive Committee that her office will no longer accept or manually enter POWTS citations that are not e-filed, citing enforcement of an electronic‑filing rule that took effect in 2016. Behrle said the change will shift workload away from her office: "it is not her office's job to e-file," she said, and estimated entering the citations for January through July would take about 26 hours and cost roughly $500 for a year if absorbed.
Administrative Coordinator and County Clerk Tracy Hartman told the Committee the County controls budgets and staffing levels for elected offices but not the duties of elected officials; when duties move between offices, Hartman said the budget and staffing should follow the work. Hartman said she will work with Corporation Counsel to develop an interim plan to cover citations for 2026 and noted a plan will be needed for 2027 to realign budget or staffing as appropriate. Lynch (staff member) reviewed the e-file process during the discussion.
The Committee did not take formal action on the item at the July 29 meeting but agreed further discussion is required to decide whether Corporation Counsel or Planning and Zoning will assume the e‑filing responsibility and the related budget implications for 2027.
