Main Office Deputy Clerk - Clerk - COMOT IV

Description:

To perform this position successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function of the position satisfactorily. The requirements listed in this document are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Tippecanoe County provides reasonable accommodations to qualified employees and applicants with known disabilities who require accommodation to complete the application process or perform essential functions of the job, unless the accommodation would present an undue hardship.

Incumbent serves as Main Office Court Clerk for the Tippecanoe County Elected Clerk, responsible for filing initial court cases, collecting fees, fines, bonds, and child support payments, and assists courts, attorneys, and the public.

DUTIES:

• Answers telephone and greets a high-volume of office visitors, with exceptional customer service, determining nature of call, responding to inquiries, providing information and assistance, taking messages and/or directing to appropriate individual or department.
• Receives and processes various types of payments into correct case, for the appropriate party into the corresponding case management system. Prepares and provides receipts.
• Maintains and balances separate cash drawers daily for each case management system, including Odyssey, Quest, or ISETS/INvest), and reports any overages or shortages.
• Enters and scans initial paper case filings into Odyssey, applying Tippecanoe County judicial local rules, and pre-determined business rules to decide if parties are already in the database.
• Accepts and processes initial electronic case filings of civil, probate, and family law cases from attorneys and pro se litigants into Odyssey e-File and Serve, including inputting correct filing codes, updating parties and/or attorney information when needed.
• Records and receipts bond payments, including the processing of surety/cash bonds into the appropriate State’s court case management systems, Odyssey, or Quest.
• Processes marriage applications and issues marriage licenses, records ceremony information, and transmits to state health department through INcite.
• Searches, copies, and certifies court records and marriage license records for other departments, governmental agencies, and the public, and prepares letters of guardianship or testamentary as requested.
• Monitors Clerk Public Records Request Portal (SBS), emails, faxes, and in-person requests to ensure timely responses and production of requested court and clerk documents.
• Processes and issues summons, subpoenas, notice of claim, initial dissolution filings, and name changes to Sheriff or by certified mail when required by statute or paid by filer.
• Receives and reviews a variety of legal documents for correctness and completeness and accepts or rejects them for filing with the court, as appropriate. Communicates reason for not accepting, if applicable. Assists in determining changes or additions needed prior to accepting and filing the document with the appropriate court.
• Oversees all aspects of processing child support cash payments and provides child support payment history reports and Court Orders.
• Oversees building case information and updates information from court orders into the ISETS/INvest child support case management system.
• Works closely with Child Support Enforcement in the Prosecutor’s Office.
• Manages two separate email accounts, for the County, and the State for child support purposes.
• Accepts and processes initial protective order filings from INcite.
• Assesses, charges, and collects the proper amount of fees chargeable upon initiating any civil, juvenile, and probate court action in accordance with Indiana state statute.
• Detects and reports suspected counterfeit currency to the County Sheriff.
• Oversees all aspects of initiating new civil, family, estates, and miscellaneous case filings, and records last wills and testaments.
• Enters Sheriff Sale Order returns in the State’s court case management system’s judgment Book (Odyssey) and into a spreadsheet.
• Mails orders as directed, including preparing for certified mailing or service by Sheriff. Enters certified mail and sheriff service results, persons served/not served, and scanning paperwork into Odyssey.
• Enters and scans traffic infractions and ordinance violations into the State’s court case management system (Odyssey). Reviews ordinance and traffic infraction reports and sends certain infractions and violations to Prosecutor for review and to Court to process.
• Pulls report once a week to identify traffic infractions that have not been transmitted to Odyssey and sends certain infractions to Prosecutor to review. Adds late fees to traffic infraction cases not paid by the due date and ensures proper disposition.
• Completes required documentation and updates the Bureau of Motor Vehicle (BMV) driving records regarding Failure to Pay (FTP) traffic infractions and violations. Performs trouble shooting for BMV problems for defendants.
• Accepts and processes a variety of payments, including, but not limited to, child support, marriage licenses, criminal and civil fees and fines, judgment payments, other applicable fees, including receiving and receipting/recording payments at counter and by mail.
• Balances and reconciles cash, check, and credit card payments in personal cash drawer against multiple court case management systems’ daily financial ledgers (Odyssey, Quest, ISETS/Invest).
• Assists department supervisor in training new personnel.
• Performs duties of other department personnel in their absence as needed.
• Performs related duties as assigned.

Requirements:

I. JOB REQUIREMENTS AND DIFFICULTY OF WORK:

• High school diploma or HSE required, Associates degree preferred, with minimum of four (4) years of experience in accounting, bookkeeping, or finance, and customer service, and closely related experience, or any equivalent combination of education and experience. Experience in Criminal Justice, Legal Studies, or Paralegal Certificate a plus.
• Must be at least 18 years of age.
• Ability to meet all hiring and retention requirements, including passage of three (3) separate background checks, including IRS background investigations, law enforcement checks, citizenship/residency checks, and FBI fingerprinting check.
• Must be able to adhere to Indiana’s Title IV-D Program requirements (Child Support Bureau).
• Must be adaptable to performing under stress and when confronted with persons acting under stress.
• Thorough knowledge of and ability to calculate, post, and manage accounting figures and financial records and ability to pay attention to detail and accuracy and demonstrate problem resolution skills, including identifying, analyzing, and correcting issues pertaining to financial entries.
• Working knowledge of standard office procedures and computer software used the Department, including Microsoft Office, TEAMS, Outlook, WORD, Excel, and ability to apply such knowledge to a variety of interrelated processes, tasks, and operations.
• Working knowledge or and/or ability to learn internet-based software used by department, including, but not limited to, Odyssey Court Case Management System, Odyssey Task Manager, Odyssey E-File & Serve System, Quest Case Management System, INcite, Indiana Support Enforcement Tracking System (ISETS)/Invest, Docuware, Clerk’s Indexes, SBS Portal, and credit card online payment systems. Must be able to decern which financial software is to be used for each particular type of payment.
• Working knowledge of standard English grammar, spelling and punctuation, and ability to type with speed and accuracy, and ability to prepare correspondence, documents, and written reports as required.
• Knowledge of legal terminology, standard legal documents and petitions, and ability to communicate with and assist various government and public agencies and departments as necessary.
• Ability to assist Department supervisor in training new personnel.
• Ability to detect and report suspected counterfeit currency and ability to count, compute and calculate and perform basic arithmetic operations.
• Ability to file, post, and mail documents.
• Ability to compare or observe similarities and differences between data, people, and things.
• and to compile, collate, and classify data, analyze, and evaluate and make determinations based on data analyses.
• Ability to properly operate a variety of standard office equipment, including computer, printer, copier, telephone, voice mail, fax machine, typewriter, microfilm reader, scanner, cash register, label maker, mail opener, and Ten Key Calculator.
• Ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing with co-workers, other County departments, State of Indiana Departments, law enforcement, Bureau of Motor Vehicles, corrections personnel, attorneys, legal staff, social service agencies, post office personnel, and the public, including being sensitive to professional ethics, gender, cultural diversities, and disabilities.
• Ability to provide public access to or maintain confidentiality of department information and records according to state requirements.
• Shall comply with all employer and department policies and work rules, including, but not limited to, attendance, safety, drug-free workplace and personal conduct.
• Ability to competently serve the public with diplomacy and respect, including occasional encounters with irate or hostile persons.
• Ability to work on several tasks at the same time (multitask) and complete assignments effectively amidst frequent distractions and interruptions; and work alone or with others in a team environment with minimum supervision, often under time pressure.
• Ability to understand, memorize, retain, and carry out written or oral instructions and present findings in oral or written form.
• Ability to occasionally work evenings hours, weekends and travel out of town for conferences.

II. RESPONSIBILITY:

Incumbent performs standard, recurring duties according to well-established department and legal guidelines, with work priorities primarily determined by service needs of the public and supervisor. Errors in incumbent's work are usually prevented and detected through procedural safeguards, legally defined procedures, and notification from other departments, agencies, or the public. Undetected errors may result in loss of time for correction, work delays and/or inconvenience to other agencies or the public. Failure to safeguard confidential information or to disseminate public information as requested may result in civil or criminal penalties.

III. PERSONAL WORK RELATIONSHIPS:

Incumbent maintains frequent contact with co-workers, other County departments, State of Indiana Departments, law enforcement, Bureau of Motor Vehicles, corrections personnel, attorneys, legal staff, social service agencies, post office personnel, and the public, for the purpose of exchanging information and rendering service.

Incumbent reports directly to Main Office Clerk Supervisor.

IV. PHYSICAL EFFORT AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Incumbent performs duties in a standard office environment, involving sitting/standing/walking, sitting for long periods, speaking clearly, hearing sounds/communication, close vision, handling/grasping/fingering objects, crouching/kneeling, reaching, bending, and lifting/carrying objects weighing less than 30 pounds and keyboarding.

Incumbent is occasionally required to work evening hours, weekends and travel out of town for conferences.