Municipal Court Clerk

Job Title: Court Clerk

Wage/ Status: Non-Exempt

Reports to: Municipal Court Administrator

Department: Municipal Court

General Job Summary

Under general supervision of the Municipal Court Administrator this position provides technical and clerical duties in support of the Municipal Court. Collects fines, fees and court costs, schedules court dates, appeals, notifications, and monitors and controls court dockets.

Essential Qualifications

Education/Certification:

• High School Diploma or a GED equivalent.
• Level I Court Clerk certificate or obtained within one (1) year of employment.
• Bilingual preferred, but not required.
• Notary Public preferred, but not required.

Experience:

• Minimum of two (2) years of clerical or customer service experience, Municipal Court experience preferred.
• Ability to complete a criminal background check, with acceptable results, as determined by the Town of Westlake.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Working knowledge of Class ‘C’ Misdemeanor cases and Municipal Court operations.
• Ability to read, comprehend and explain the laws and legal documents to the public.
• Ability to execute verbal and written directives and monitor and apply the laws of the State of Texas under the Judge’s direction.
• Ability to serve the citizens and defendants of the Town in a courteous and diplomatic manner while exercising emotional control.
• Ability to work independently and with minimal supervision.
• Strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to successfully interact with co-workers, management, attorneys, officers, and jail facilities.
• Ability to operate various office equipment, computers and software applications.
• Organized and attention to detail when dealing with numbers and legal documents.

Performance Responsibilities:

General Expectations for All Employees:

For our Westlake team to serve our customers (internal and external) with superior services that are accessible, efficient, cost effective, and transparent, we hold these expectations for all employees:

• Learn and demonstrate an understanding of how team, department, and Town (municipal & academic) goals are interconnected.
• Contribute to a positive work culture and maintain confidentiality.
• Ability to assess personal work performance and/or the work performance of the team.
• Contribute to the development of others and/or the overall organization.
• Ability and willingness to work in a collaborative environment to demonstrate team skills, and to perform a fair share of team responsibilities.
• Ability to continuously learn and develop through a mix of internal and external training opportunities and when applicable encourage/mentor teammates to do the same.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Process court documents in accordance with court procedures and legal requirements.
• Maintain office records of court proceedings; assist in courtroom operations.
• Maintain accurate records; receive and process documents filed with the court, check for accuracy and completeness.
• Greets visitors and responds to questions regarding court proceedings.
• Assists in coordinating court programs, activities, and dockets with judges, attorneys, litigants, prosecutors, police department, and other appropriate agencies and criminal justice entities.
• Serves as a Notary Public, authenticate official documents and administer oaths.
• Performs data entry of citations and cases.
• Tracks payments of fines and bonds.
• Provides information and materials and accepts payments.
• Verifies insurance coverage presented to the court office and files closed court document cases in the Municipal Court.
• Balances and deposits court fines, fees, bonds, and miscellaneous cash receipts.
• Filing and sorting of dockets and various court documents.
• Processes and distributes daily mail, checks court voicemail daily.
• Communicates with defendants as needed via telephone, in-person and in writing.
• Assists in maintaining the Municipal Court website.
• Accurately prepares all daily, weekly, and annual reports on a timely basis.
• Maintains supply inventory and orders as needed.

Other Duties:

• As assigned by Municipal Court Administrator or supervisor.

Evaluation:

The performance of this job will be evaluated at least annually by the Municipal Court Administrator.

Supervisory Responsibility:

None

Physical Demands/Environmental Factors:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Tools/Equipment: Standard office equipment including personal computer and peripherals.

Requires the ability to maintain effective audio-visual discrimination and

perception for making observations, operating assigned equipment, and

communicating with others.

Posture: Prolonged sitting; occasional standing, kneeling/squatting, bending/stooping,

pushing/pulling, and twisting.

Motion: Repetitive hand motion; frequent keyboarding and use of mouse; regular

walking, grasping/squeezing, wrist flexion/extension, reaching.

Lifting: Moderate to heavy lifting and carrying (50 pounds or more)

Environment: Work inside, may work outside.

Mental Demands: Work with frequent interruptions; maintain emotional control under stress; may work prolonged or irregular hours.

Disclaimer:

This position description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees to this job.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $17.55 - $21.03 per hour

Expected hours: 40 per week

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday
• Weekends as needed

Experience:

• Customer service: 2 years (Required)

Work Location: In person