County clerk’s office needs to expand due to greater workload

The Hays County Clerk’s Office is making some staffing changes to meet the challenges of a growing workload.

“We’re really struggling with new demands on our office placed by the growing community of Hays County, and in particular by the addition of a court,” County Clerk Elaine Cardenas told the commissioners.

Cardenas asked for four new staff members to help with paperwork generated by the new court.

“In case you doubt our need … the addition of the extra courtroom has increased the workload of our court side by 50 percent,” Cardenas said.

Cardenas also asked to reorganize her staff, including a regrade of some senior positions.

Cardenas said that the Hays County Clerk’s Office is known statewide for its excellent work, and she wants to keep it that way.

“We’re just really scrambling and we’ve had to take some drastic measures to keep up,” she said, such as closing some substations on some days.

Cardenas said the new positions she requested will cost about $50,000 for 2019; including the cost of equipment, the price tag is $67,000 for the rest of this year. For Fiscal Year 2020, she said, the cost will be $198,835, including benefits.

“We do have this money,” she said. “We have our records management fund, and we have the money in there to pay for this for several years out.”

The regrading of the senior positions — which Cardenas said she wants to do in order to reward longterm employees -- would cost $1,811 for the rest of 2019 and just over $7,000 in 2020.

“I’m hoping that I can get your approval for this, because I want to make sure our staff can continue doing the excellent job they have done in the past.”

The commissioners approved Cardenas’ request unanimously.