County clerk outlines e-filing rollout, Clean Slate work and DMV staffing challenges
Summary
County Clerk Brad Kendall described a mostly status-quo 2026 budget while highlighting major operational initiatives: e-filing in criminal courts, Clean Slate Act preparations for 2027, digitization of records and DMV wait-time staffing/revenue changes.
County Clerk Brad Kendall said the clerk's office budget is largely status quo but that 2026 will see substantive operational changes, including implementation of e-filing in county criminal courts and preparatory work to comply with New York's Clean Slate Act, which takes effect in 2027. "We're now e filing about 90% of our cases," Kendall said, noting e-filing saves materials and secures records.
Kendall also described DMV operational pressures: variable wait times across Poughkeepsie, Wappingers and Millbrook, reliance on appointments, and hiring delays caused by civil-service exam timing. He requested that the legislature consider adding contracted security (~$11,000/month, roughly $132,000/year) to help manage office flow during construction. Kendall said past changes in the state's retention split have increased county revenue from online transactions and that roughly 2 million pages have been digitized with back-scanning continuing into 2026.
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