Liberty County clerk urges two targeted hires to curb overtime and backlog

D. Young, speaking for the Liberty County Clerk of Court's Office, told the Board of Commissioners that the clerk's office collected about $7.8 million in 2025 and returned $4,653,275 directly to the county, while handling filings and fees for four courts. "Our office sits at the center of justice and revenue in Liberty County," she said.

Young said caseloads have surged and staff are strained: magistrate caseloads rose roughly 24.1% year over year and the office logged about 356 hours of overtime through Feb. 28, 2026, costing $18,348.88 so far. She described recent resignations and medically related absences that have worsened capacity and raised error risk. "Overtime is a symptom of understaffing and it's not a solution," she told commissioners.

To address the problem, Young asked the board to convert a budgeted 30-hour-per-week intake position to a full-time job (estimated additional cost roughly $13,996 annually) and to fund one new full-time deputy clerk in the court division (total annual cost about $49,922, net county ask after projected overtime savings roughly $35,478). She argued the conversion would be financed in part by reducing overtime payouts: "By converting this part-time position to a full-time position, we can fully fund the change by reducing overtime while providing more stable coverage," Young said.

Commissioners pressed for more expense detail and asked how technology and e-filing integration factored into staffing needs. Young said the office is advancing scans and e-filing where possible but that many court processes still require paper records. She also referenced obligations under OCGA that limit the office's ability to give legal advice to the public and add administrative overhead.

After discussion and a review by the finance committee, commissioners moved and approved the clerk's budget presentation and the requested staffing adjustments as presented to finance. The approval was taken by voice/show of hands; no roll-call tally was recorded in the public minutes.

The clerk said the changes are intended to reduce overtime costs, stabilize coverage in high-pressure divisions and protect timely service for judges, attorneys and county residents. Staff indicated they will provide additional line-item expense detail to finance if commissioners request it.