No extra fees from Knox Co Circuit Court Clerk four years running

The Knox County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office has again failed to turn over any money to the county’s coffers – for the fourth year in a row and the fifth time in the past six years.

In fact, the county – as it closes its financial books on the recently wrapped-up fiscal year – even had to underwrite the overall operation for 2016 to the tune of almost $80,000.

That’s because the juvenile court, which is under the Circuit Court clerk’s purview, spent more than the office brought in.

Now, top county leaders say they are troubled about the office’s lack of finances, but question whether they can step in.

“There’s always a concern, absolutely,” said Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett. “If they don’t collect it, then the deficit is going to come from somewhere else. Either you raise taxes or you raise the base.
We’re kind of limited in local government. At some point it’s going to come from the taxpayers . . . it’s not going to magically appear.”

Knox County Commission Vice Chairman Randy Smith agreed, saying he, too, is “very concerned.”

“They need to look at aligning their staffing with the revenue streams,” Smith told WBIR 10News. “This is supposed to be at least a break-even entity.”

The Circuit Court Clerk’s Office is one of five county fee offices. These departments are run by elected leaders and are supposed to be self-funded from the fees they collect. But, they also are expected to contribute to the county’s overall bottom line.

For example, whenever someone files a lawsuit in the circuit court, the plaintiff has to pay an upfront fee of $186.50. An adoption carries a $252 fee and name change runs $186.50.

Those monies first go to covering the salaries in the office and any excess revenue is turned over to the county.

That doesn’t happen often in the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office.

But, the office’s spokesman, Randy Kenner, said officials in the department are doing everything they can.

“I think the office is pretty well run,” he said. “I don’t think we have a lot of collections out there. We’re collecting the fees we’re supposed to collect . . . (but) there’s just not as much money as there once was.”

Rest of story RIGHT HERE.

Circuit Court Clerk Shanks argues Wheeler worked for her, not county

Shanks

Knox County Circuit Court Clerk Cathy Shanks argues former second-in-command Tim Wheeler was an employee of her office and not a county employee as he contends.

Tim Wheeler filed suit against Shanks, an elected official, last month after she dismissed him. Wheeler is seeking to get his old job back, and he argues he's a Knox County employee.

Wheeler has no right to proceed under the county's personnel ordinance to appeal his termination because he's not a county worker, Shanks states in a response filed Friday to his Circuit Court lawsuit.

"It is averred that (Wheeler) was an employee of the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court-Divisions I, II, and III, the General Sessions Court, Civil Division and the Juvenile Court for Knox County, Tenn.," Shanks' response states.

Wheeler

As a county employee, Wheeler would have the right to appeal termination under the county's personnel ordinance.

Shanks fired Wheeler on Friday, April 24, as he prepared to go on vacation.

She sent him a text two days before that said: "Go ahead and take off until your cruise. We've got it covered and OBVIOUSLY you need the rest."

He had worked under her since December 2001. His termination notice lists "office reorganization" as the reason he was let go.

Wheeler earned almost $82,000 annually.

Wheeler lawsuit seeks Circuit Court job back, goes after Quist-Shanks

Wheeler

Two days before Knox County Circuit Court Clerk Cathy Shanks terminated her chief deputy, she sent him a text message, telling him to take some time off because "obviously you need the rest," according to court records.

She then fired him on Friday.

Now, Tim Wheeler, who served as Shanks' second-in-command, has filed a lawsuit in Circuit Court, seeking to keep his job.

In addition, he sent a letter of appeal on Wednesday to Shanks and the county's human resource director, Mark Jones.

Wheeler has asked the court to determine whether he is a county employee or an employee of Shanks, who is an elected official. Shanks oversees a fee office paid for by fines, fees and penalties rather than a traditional county department that is funded with taxpayer dollars.

As a county employee, he would have the right to appeal under the county's personnel ordinance.

Officials in the office have said little about why Shanks fired Wheeler, who has worked for the department since December 2001.

His notice of termination lists "office reorganization" as the reason he was let go.

Circuit Court officials on Wednesday referred questions to the county's law department, which doesn't comment about ongoing litigation.

Wheeler earned almost $82,000 annually.

Wheeler out as Circuit Court deputy; lodges complaints about Shanks

Wheeler

Knox County Circuit Court Clerk Cathy Shanks has terminated her chief deputy as of Friday afternoon.

Officials in the office said little about why she fired Tim Wheeler, who has worked for the department since December 2001.

"The clerk is making some changes in the office and this is one of them," said Randy Kenner, the department's managing clerk.

As chief deputy, Wheeler technically operated as Shanks' second-in-command. He earned almost $82,000 annually.

Responding to his termination, Wheeler on Friday night said he'd enjoyed his job, which he thought he did "extremely well," and was disappointed to be losing it.

He said Shanks had recently been missing work. He said he told her judges and others in the court system had been seeking his help in her absence.

"I told her about these requests because I was truly concerned about the damage to the office and to the Clerk's reputation from her neglecting her duties. I felt it was my job to make sure the office continued to run in her absence," his letter states.

He added that while he was away on a leave of absence caring for his dying father that Shanks began acting erratically, resulting in the departures of several employees. According to Wheeler, she filled the vacancies with friends and acquaintances who weren't qualified for their jobs.

Kenner said Shanks, whose office also oversees Juvenile Court, has no plans to fill the position at this point.

Wheeler was a Knoxville City Council candidate in 2003

Circuit Court clerk to make records available online by early next year

Remember how awhile back we broke the news that the Knox County Criminal Court Clerk’s Office has never bothered to draw down any of the coin from its $130,000 technology fund?

If you don’t, well, right smack here for the story.

Anyhoo, I was talking to Circuit Court Clerk Cathy Shanks (formerly Quist) and her right hand agent, Randy Kenner, about whether they’re using the money. (Circuit Court is kind of like the yin to Criminal Court’s yang.)

Here’s what I was told:

Last year the office kicked off the bidding process to get an electronic management system that would include an online component. Nine companies were interested and Databank IMX out of Monroe, Louisiana got the contract. (This was approved by the County Commission earlier this year.)

Overall, the plan is to use a scanning system that will allow “for the efficient electronic storage, retrieval and transmission of court records.”

The public, attorneys, media, etc. will then be able to access circuit, civil sessions and juvenile courts’ stuff online for a monthly fee, which will be used to keep the operation up and running. 

Randy told me the numbers but, quite frankly, I forgot. I do remember that he said they’d probably need about 100 clients to break even.

(Nashville has a similar program and it’s actually turned into its own revenue stream.)

Randy said officials hope to have enough content available early next year. At that point they’ll begin offering online access.

They’ll use the technology fund to get the operation going. The money comes from a $2 computer and technology fee that state law requires as part of the filing fee for new cases.