|
|
|
Judge Robert Lewis introduced a familiar face to Benton Rotary Club members during Tuesday’s noon meeting.
Lewis said Nancy Hobbs, Franklin County Circuit Clerk deputy and bookkeeper, is a neighbor of his and is married to Larry Hobbs. He recalled her as Nancy Jenkins when the two went to school together.
Hobbs said running the circuit clerk’s office is a “complicated, detailed process.”
“We are bound by the laws enacted by the state legislature, the rules of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, and the orders and dispositions agreed on by the state’s attorney, the lawyers and the litigant,” she said. “Our job is to accurately and completely record and secure all of the information involved in each case, to receive and distribute all of the fines and fees, and to make sure all the relevant documents we have received are in the file and ready for court.”
Hobbs said 13,706 new cases were opened last year.
“This means entering the information into the computer and the physical case file,” she said. “We have to figure what the correct fees are and enter them, then make sure the fees needed to open a case have been paid.”
The deputy said employees continue the daily ritual while “answering the constantly ringing five phone lines, waiting on people at the counter, and taking whatever action is needed in the more than 8,000 cases still pending.”
Hobbs said the circuit clerk’s office handles traffic tickets for seat belt and speeding violations.
“We collect the fines and fees in these cases or we tell people the process they need to follow if they want to protest the ticket or to negotiate with the state’s attorney,” she said. “We also record payments and process the paperwork on all other traffic violations and DUI’s from the 19 or so agencies that write tickets.”
Tickets are also processed for city offense violations, conservation department tickets for watercraft or hunting and fishing violations and the tickets that Franklin-Williamson Bi-County Health Department writes, Hobbs said.
“All in all we processed more than 10,000 new tickets last year,” she said. “This keeps three people busy full time.”
Processing criminal cases that include misdemeanors for writing bad checks, shoplifting, battery and theft is part of the work of the Circuit Clerk’s office, Hobbs said. “We process felonies that range from burglary and criminal trespass to child and sexual abuse cases, and the double homicides we have coming to trial later this year.”
Judge Robert Lewis introduced a familiar face to Benton Rotary Club members during Tuesday’s noon meeting.
Lewis said Nancy Hobbs, Franklin County Circuit Clerk deputy and bookkeeper, is a neighbor of his and is married to Larry Hobbs. He recalled her as Nancy Jenkins when the two went to school together.
Hobbs said running the circuit clerk’s office is a “complicated, detailed process.”
“We are bound by the laws enacted by the state legislature, the rules of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, and the orders and dispositions agreed on by the state’s attorney, the lawyers and the litigant,” she said. “Our job is to accurately and completely record and secure all of the information involved in each case, to receive and distribute all of the fines and fees, and to make sure all the relevant documents we have received are in the file and ready for court.”
Hobbs said 13,706 new cases were opened last year.
“This means entering the information into the computer and the physical case file,” she said. “We have to figure what the correct fees are and enter them, then make sure the fees needed to open a case have been paid.”
The deputy said employees continue the daily ritual while “answering the constantly ringing five phone lines, waiting on people at the counter, and taking whatever action is needed in the more than 8,000 cases still pending.”
Hobbs said the circuit clerk’s office handles traffic tickets for seat belt and speeding violations.
“We collect the fines and fees in these cases or we tell people the process they need to follow if they want to protest the ticket or to negotiate with the state’s attorney,” she said. “We also record payments and process the paperwork on all other traffic violations and DUI’s from the 19 or so agencies that write tickets.”
Tickets are also processed for city offense violations, conservation department tickets for watercraft or hunting and fishing violations and the tickets that Franklin-Williamson Bi-County Health Department writes, Hobbs said.
“All in all we processed more than 10,000 new tickets last year,” she said. “This keeps three people busy full time.”
Processing criminal cases that include misdemeanors for writing bad checks, shoplifting, battery and theft is part of the work of the Circuit Clerk’s office, Hobbs said. “We process felonies that range from burglary and criminal trespass to child and sexual abuse cases, and the double homicides we have coming to trial later this year.”
She said contempt of court cases are rare.
“This is not like TV or the movies where it seems that a judge is always ordering someone to jail for contempt,” Hobbs said — drawing a chuckle from Rotarians.
“We record cases against juveniles who are charged with a crime and cases of abuse and neglect that happen to juveniles,” she said. “Additionally our office is responsible for numerous types of juvenile cases. There are family-related cases like adoptions, paternity suits, child support and custody, divorces, filing wills, opening estates and guardianships, name changes, and petitions to be declared an emancipated minor.”
Large and small lawsuits petitioning for various amounts of financial compensation are also part of the job, Hobbs said.
“Landlords use our office to attempt to evict a tenant or collect unpaid rent,” she said. “Banks and other financial institutions foreclose on property owners or attempt to collect unpaid debts.
“There are civil cases asking for compensation for a breach of contract,” Hobbs said. “Individuals without a lawyer can sue to recover losses of all kinds for amounts up to $10,000 through small claims and law cases. Tax cases involving the county treasurer’s annual tax sale, petitions for tax deeds, and individual tax sales of foreclosures are all part of the court system. Suits for wrongful death resulting from accidents or negligence are filed in civil court.”
The Circuit Court deputy said cities, villages and government agencies file suits through the office for election contests, official misconduct and various matters of organization such as creating or dissolving special districts.
“Family members or couples in which either or both parties re being threatened or abused have a way to address the problem through orders of protection,” Hobbs said. “Individuals can apply for civil no contact orders against another individual if they feel harassed.”
She said judges perform between 80 and 100 marriages a year.
“We don’t issue marriage licenses but we collect the $10 fee charged for a marriage ceremony,” Hobbs said. “Under a new law, civil union ceremonies can also be performed.”
Judges and jury trials for criminal and civil cases are also part of the duties of the Circuit Clerk’s office, she said.
“We summon jurors, swear in witnesses, make sure the jurors are fed if they are deliberating during a mealtime, and see to it that the jurors are paid for their time and travel, which happens to be $10 a day and 10 cents a mile.”
Hobbs said the figures had not changed “for at least 20 years.”
She said another important aspect of the office is “providing the public with information on new and old cases.”
“Almost every case is public information and can be viewed by anyone,” Hobbs said. “Exceptions are adoptions, juvenile cases and some cases specifically impounded by the judge.”
She said genealogical researchers title companies and firms conducting background checks use the office frequently.
“A public access computer is available to locate and gather information on cases back to 1987,” Hobbs said. “For older cases, we have an imaging system where old records are scanned and available to view.”
She credited Circuit Clerk Donna Sevenski for the work done while she has been in office, including moving the old files to a new off-site storage facility.
“Now we have a quick, clean and convenient recovery of records we need for court or research projects,” Hobbs said.
She said moving the files has freed up office space, which is at a premium.
“Our office is so jammed with desks ad machines we have to walk sideways to keep out of one another’s way,” Hobbs said.
The collected fines and fees are distributed monthly to numerous offices and agencies, she said.
“Last year alone we distributed 2.5 million dollars,” Hobbs said.
“Approximately 1.5 million went to the county treasurer. More than $200,000 was paid to cities and villages in the county for the traffic citations they wrote.
“Half a million dollars was sent to the state treasurer to be distributed to the various state agencies under which the law mandates us to collect fees,” she said.
Hobbs said no one in the Circuit Clerk’s office determines how much money anyone is required to pay.
“We do not make the laws that require them to pay,” she said. “We do not implement or enforce the laws.
“We are not attorneys and cannot give legal advice. We cannot even recommend a specific attorney for anyone.
“We cannot fill out the required paperwork for anyone,” Hobbs said.
“We cannot even tell anyone how to fill out the paperwork. This is information that people must get from an attorney, from various web sites or even at the library.”
She said deputy clerks credit Sevenski “for making our office the best it can be under trying circumstances.”
“And Donna credits the clerks for doing important work and doing it well,” she said.
