Snohomish County Clerk
We continued our presentations by our elected County Officials this past week. Two weeks ago we heard from County Auditor Carolyn Weikel. In the coming weeks, we will be hearing from the County Assessor, County Treasurer, County Sheriff and County Executive.
Our speaker April 18th was Sonya Kraski, the Snohomish County Clerk. Sonya has been serving the citizens of Snohomish County for almost 30 years. Sonya is serving her second term as the elected Snohomish County Clerk. Sonya has been married to Steve for 24 years and lives in Arlington. When she isn't working or volunteering, the couple enjoy waterskiing, snowmobiling and riding their Harley's.
So, what is a County Clerk? Why do we need a County Clerk? Well, these were many of the questions that were answered by Sonya during her presentation. All of the functions of the County Clerk are mandated functions by the State Legislature. The Mission Statement of the County Clerk is: "Our mission is to maintain the Superior Court record and provide excellent service to the citizens and the court by ensuring: 1) The integrity of and access to the Superior Court record, 2) Accountability of court funds; and 3) Prudent stewardship of public resources entructed to us. VISION: Tobe the finest Clerk's Office in Washington State as a result of our outstanding employees, advanced technology and innovative services.
Court record files are available for viewing by the public unless the records have been sealed. Last year there was 77,000 hearings. Court fees and fines are set by law by the State Legislature. The Clerk is the quasi judicial branch of Snohomish County. Judgments are viewed when it relates to real estate or property. The Clerk is responsible for Jury management services for the county. There were 51,000 cases last year. Protection Orders are under the jurisdiction of her office. All court hearing clerks are responsible of her office. They perform the swearing in of the jury as well as announcing the judgment. Exhibits are stored until released by the Court. The Clerk's Office handles abut $27 million annually and funds from criminal cases last year amounted to around $1,000,000.
Besides handling the Court Records and Exhibits; being the Financial Officer for the Superior and Juvenile Courts, the Quasi-Judicial Officer; the Clerk of the Court and Jury Management Officer they provide other services such as Protection Orders, Family Law Facilitators, Confirm hearings and prepare the court calendars, the goal is to go paperless or paper on demand, allow electronic filings and combine the customer service areas for both the Superior and District Court.
The County Clerk's office has 75 full time staff including the Clerk; has a budget of $6.8 million; handles 27,000 new cases; handles over $27 million dollars; 51,000 jurors summoned along with over 25,000 exhibits plus 77,000 hearings and 850 trials. So that is the workings of the County Clerk.