The County Line: Cape Girardeau County clerk's office busy year-round

While some county offices have times throughout the year that aren't as busy as others, Cape Girardeau County Clerk Kara Clark Summers said her department's two major roles, elections and human resources, always keep her busy.

"We don't have a down time," she said. "There's stuff going on all year-round. Thank goodness I have a wonderful staff."

The clerk and her staff of five are probably most associated with conducting all of the county's elections. She said in addition to countywide races, such as presiding commissioner, the office conducts elections for any Cape Girardeau County municipality that wants something on the ballot.

Conducting elections includes processing voter registrations, certifying petitions, printing ballots, setting up polling centers and certifying results. Clark Summers said her office tends to see the most visits from the public during election years.

"Our busiest time of year, as far as the outside person coming in, is during election time with absentee voting. That's when you see the most traffic coming through our office," she said.

As the human resources office for county employees, Clark Summers sees every new hire, including elected officials.

"They fill out their paperwork here. This is where it starts," she said.

Her office also handles the payroll and benefits for the county's 200 employees.

The clerk's office also serves a "checks and balances" role for other county offices.

"We double-check the collector and the treasurer. We're kind of a double-check for them on the balance each month, to make sure what they're showing is what we have," she said.

The office also prints all county checks, after purchase orders are processed through the auditor's office.

The clerk's office has several major elections and human resources projects scheduled for 2011.

Clark Summers is working to buy sturdier, more accessible voting booths for the county's precincts. However, at almost $800 per four-booth unit, it is a costly endeavor. She hopes to secure a grant to purchase the booths.

The office also plans to scan all of the county's past election results in the coming year. Clark Summers said that will be time-consuming, as older, oversized and handwritten ballots are processed, but it will help her office and the public. Through scanning in the documents and adding keywords, employees will have access to hundreds of years' worth of election information in a matter of seconds.

"It's going to be so nice for the public because we can get them something almost at a fingertip," she said. "It's going to be so nice for us because it's going to less time-consuming."

As municipalities prepare a tax issue or other ballot initiative, she said, they often request historical information on how similar issues were worded and how they fared at the polls.

Clark Summers said she hopes to make the scanned results accessible to the public but doesn't know exactly when that will happen.

As the county's human resources manager, she plans to update the employee manual and the payroll department. County employees are paid once a month and she would like to change it to twice a month, she said.

"It's difficult, especially in this day and time. It's hard for people to budget that," she said.

The office is also redesigning its website to provide more information about the office and its duties, including topics such as obtaining a liquor license and voter registration. Clark Summers said she wants the clerk's website to be a vital tool for county residents.

"It's important for people to know where to go," she said.

Clark Summers also serves as the clerk to the county commission and is over the archive center. She said the center's employees handle operations, but she goes over their budget.

In 2010 the county clerk's budget from county revenue was $252,392. The clerk's office was created under Chapter 51 of Missouri State Statutes.

cbartholomew@semissourian.com

243-8600

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