The Clerk of Court is an elected position, with a four year term of office (last election was in November 2018). The Clerk’s duties are governed by Section 59.40 of the Wisconsin Statutes, as well as numerous other cites through the Statutes, Supreme Court rules, county ordinances, and local court rules.
The primary functions performed by the office are official custodian of the court case records, from the initial filing of the case through the destruction of the case file at the expiration of the retention period; court minute processing; jury management; the maintenance and management of court income and expenses; judgment and lien docketing; data entry on the state CCAP system for information sharing with our justice partners; and court administration, including calendaring, updates, reports, etc.
The office serves as an administrative link between the State, the judiciary, the county board, and the public. In addition, the Columbia County office arranges for civil marriage ceremonies performed by the judiciary, processes passport applications, responds to open records requests and appeals, participates in numerous “open court” education settings for the youth in our communities, and is the liaison with the multiple public and private agencies involved with the legal lives of our citizens.