Interim Brown County Clerk of Courts Announces Office Achievements!

From the Brown County Clerk of Courts Office:

Brown County Clerk of Courts Michele Harris is pleased to announce extensive progress in the operation of county related court functions. Since her appointment this past December, Clerk Michele Harris has shown leadership in making the Clerk of Court’s Office more efficient by improving employee skills through cross-training and further continuing education of court administration processes.

“My staff and I have tried to make the office more user friendly for the residents of Brown County and those who rely on our court system,” said Clerk Michele Harris. “For example, we have implemented a new phone system at the Court of Common Pleas to help direct the community to the appropriate sections of the Clerk’s office in an easier and quicker fashion,” stated Clerk Harris.

Additionally, Clerk of Courts employees have focused particularly on working to get all the outdated court filings and cases caught up. Specifically, the Clerk of Court’s Office has put extra emphasis on processing foreclosure cases. This added emphasis has allowed the Clerk of Court’s office to increase the amount of money paid into the county general found by bringing foreclosure cases to their endpoints. In the month of February alone, the Clerk of Court’s Office has transferred $44,000 to the county general fund. Additionally, in February the Clerk’s Office has transferred over $19,000 in past due foreclosure fees from 2011 to Sheriff Dwayne Wenninger’s Office.

“The Clerk of Court’s Office collects fees for the county and the Sheriff’s office while a foreclosure case is pending. After a foreclosed property sells at a Sheriff’s sale, the Clerk’s Office must finalize the case by dispersing the proper fee amounts to the respective county offices,” stated Clerk Michele Harris.

“Unfortunately, the Clerk of Court’s Office was behind on many foreclosure cases and therefore not dispersing money to county’s general fund in a timely fashion. Through proper training and increased employee morale the Clerk’s Office is getting adequately caught up and getting the county’s money back into the general fund where it belongs,” stated Harris.

“We should be completely caught up soon on uncompleted foreclosure cases. It is my goal for the Clerk of Courts Office to transfer another large sum of money to the county general fund next month as well,” stated Harris.

In addition, to completing pending foreclosure cases the Clerk’s Office also transferred the county’s unclaimed funds from 2010 to the general fund.

“The Clerk’s Office has posted our unclaimed funds in the Court of Common Pleas for the past two months and now we have paid into the county, $18,891.26. With all our budgets’ being tight, the Clerk of Court’s Office is trying to do everything it can do to help get money back to the people it belongs to,” stated Clerk Michele Harris. If your name is on this list, please contact the Commissioner’s office to learn how to claim your funds.

“Lastly, if it was not for the hardworking and dedicated employees of the Clerk of Court’s Office none of these achievements would have been possible. Making the Clerk of Courts Office running effectively and efficiently for county residents has truly been a team effort. I am proud of my staff’s effort and look forward to announcing further achievements.” concluded Clerk of Courts Michele Harris.