Clark Co. Circuit Court and Associate Circuit Court to Consolidate

 Clark Co. Circuit Court and Associate Circuit Court to Consolidate

With every new year comes the prospect of change. An important change for the Circuit Court in Clark County will occur on January 1, 2010, when the responsibility for all case processing and record keeping functions will be consolidated into a single office under the Circuit Clerk, Mary Jones. Currently, court staff is employed by two separate offices, one overseen by the Honorable John Moon, Associate Circuit Judge, and the other by Mary Jones, circuit clerk. While the staff from the two offices cooperates fully, it has been mandated by Chief Justice, William Ray Price, Jr., that all circuit court personnel within each county be consolidated under a single appointing authority by January 1, 2010. This action is due to the fact that the Governor withheld funds in the amount of $3 million from the Missouri Judiciary for the Fiscal year 2010. Due to these reductions and the extraordinary need that they impose on all of us, we need to be more flexible with the resources that we have. A number of benefits are expected to result from the consolidation: a larger pool of staff will be available for customer service; individuals will be able to complete transactions for obtain information at one office; by transferring personnel to the circuit clerk, the Associate Circuit Judge will be able to devote more time to judicial responsibilities. While the court staff recognizes that consolidation will require some adjustments, they have all voiced optimism and are looking forward to the opportunity to improve efficiency and service. The biggest benefit of the consolidation will be seen by the public, once the courts are consolidated, all phone calls, mail and inquiries made in person will be processed in one centralized location, all of the present clerical court staff, consisting of four full time deputies, one part-time deputy, and the circuit clerk, will be working in the same office. They will be processing all levels of court cases, including traffic, probate, small claims, municipal, juvenile, circuit civil, domestic relations, misdemeanor and felony criminal cases. In addition, consolidation will give the opportunity to cross-train court staff. This will be valuable in the event someone is out of the office due to illness or vacation. After consolidation, there will be adequate staff available to assist the public and keep the courts functioning smoothly. The Recorder’s office will remain the same. The address for the court and the Recorder’s office will be 111 E. Court Street, Suite 2, Kahoka, Missouri, 63445. Telephone number will be 660-727-3292 and 660-727-3628. the fax number will be 660-727-1051.