1. County Clerk Shelley Coston Bell County Clerk
The many roles the clerk plays in county government

2. History of the County Clerk
Article 5, Section 20 of the Texas Constitution
There shall be elected for each county, by the qualified voters, a County Clerk, who shall hold this office for four years, who shall be clerk of the County and Commissioners Courts and recorder of the county, whose duties, perquisites and fees of office shall be prescribed by the Legislature, and a vacancy in whose office shall be filled by the Commissioners Court, until the next general election; provided, that in counties having a population of less than 8,000 persons there may be an election of a single Clerk, who shall perform the duties of District and County Clerks. (Amended Nov. 2, 1954.)
Section of the Government Code
Applicable to Counties with a population of less than shall elect a single Clerk to perform duties of District Clerk and County Clerk

3. Required Continuing Education
Section of the Government Code
20 hours during each calendar year
TAC
UT CLE
SOS
Region Meetings
Probate College
Vital Statistics
Software Vendor

4. What does that mean to you?
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER We need funding in our travel budgets.

5. Clerk of Commissioners Court
1. Attend Commissioners Court meetings and take the official minutes
Hold official seal of the court
2. Administrator and Custodian of all Commissioner Court documents
Attachments, contracts, handouts
3. Receives all minutes, orders, oaths and official bonds from the Commissioners Court.

6. Clerk of Courts Constitutional County Court County Court at Law
Juvenile
Civil
Mental
Guardianship
Probate – Statutory County Court
Appeals
Works with attorneys, jurors, defendants, SO, JP’s, Constables, Probation, FBI, DPS, TABC, COUNTY JUDGES and COMMISSIONERS

7. Recorder of the County File mark all instruments accepted for filing
File budgets and make available for public inspection
Record appointments of deputy sheriffs, deputy district clerks, deputy treasurers, and deputy tax-assessor/collectors
Provide attested copies
Maintain OPR according to laws, codes, statutes
Record real property records including but not limited to:
deeds, mortgages, conveyances, deeds of trust, bonds for title
Maintain records on liens
Record all plats
E-recording

8. Records Retention Specialist
Records Retention schedule adopted by the State Library
Although many clerks are going to paperless offices many records must be maintained permanently
Remember the threat of disaster!

9. Local Government Code Sec. 118.025 COUNTY CLERK'S RECORDS ARCHIVE
Preservation
Local Government Code Sec COUNTY CLERK'S RECORDS ARCHIVE

11. Commissioner’s Court…
How can you help your County Clerk?
Records Management
Space
Funding

12. There is no such thing as a permanent “Dump Truck”

13. Texas Secretary of State Elections Division
Election Officials
Local Election Officials
Custodian of Election Records
Early Voting Clerk
Procuring, Ordering and Delivering Supplies
Preparing Ballots
Maintaining Office Hours before and after election
Receiving Candidate Applications
Preparing and Delivering certain reports to SOS
Texas Secretary of State Elections Division

14. Texas Secretary of State Elections Division
Types of Elections
General Elections
Presidential Election,
General Election for State and County officers,
Regular Officer Elections for Cities, School Districts, Water Districts, Hospital Districts, Library Districts.
Special Elections
Special Election to fill a Vacancy,
Constitutional Amendment Election,
Local Option Liquor Elections,
Tax Ratification Elections,
Bond Elections,
Bingo Elections,
Stock Law Elections,
Hail Suppression Elections, etc., etc., etc.…..
Texas Secretary of State Elections Division

15. Post-Election Procedures
Canvass
Ministerial duty
Quorum = 2 members of canvassing authority
Reports
Precinct by Precinct Report
Partial Manual Count Report
Texas Secretary of State Elections Division

16. Post-Election Procedures
Qualifying for Office
Certificate of Election (67.016)
Statement of Elected Officer (Art XVI, Sec. 1, Tex. Const.)
Oath of Office, Chapter 602, Texas Government Code
Filed locally, unless district or state office.
Certificate of Election
Statement of Elected Officer
Oath of Office
Texas Secretary of State Elections Division

17. Election Administrator
Primary, General, Special, Districts, Cities, Schools
Election Board, Voting, Mail Ballots, Early Voting Ballot Board, Postings, Programming, Election Kits, Machines, Scanners, Voters Registration List, Secretary of State forms, precinct chairman, Department of Justice, poll workers, poll worker training, tabulation, campaign reports, supplies, results, media, polling locations, and on and on and on!

18. Financial Responsibilities
Registry of the Court
Collect fees specified by statute
Make reports to auditor/treasurer with disbursements
Receive funds ordered by the court for disbursement
Maintain various Trust accounts
Maintain cash bonds for criminal cases
Criminal collections

19. Vital Records Local Registrar Marriage License
Declaration of Informal Marriage
Birth Certificates
Death Certificates

20. Miscellaneous Assumed Name Certificate Wills for safekeeping Brands
Beer and Wine Permits
Military Records
Administrative duties
Reports to the DPS, OCA, SOS, TXPW, COMPTROLLER

21. Records that carry you through life:
 Birth Records
Juvenile Court Records
Election Records
Military Records –DD214
Marriage Records
Deed/Property Records
Livestock Brands
Assumed Name Certificates
Civil Court records – i.e. credit card debt
Misdemeanor Court records –i.e. Bad Checks; DWI
Death Records
Probate Records –Wills

22. Shelley Coston Bell County Clerk PO Box 480 Belton, Texas