NEW INSIDE! Financial Focus: Fiscal Responsibility Leads to Budget Reductions Court Report: Clerk Collects $4.2 Million in Past Due Fines Florida Legislature Increases Several Court Fees and Charges Recording Change: DR-219 No Longer Required Courthouse Expansion Leads to Expanded Service Audit Corner: For the Record... |
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Message From Clerk Bock
I hope you find Your Public Trustee to be interesting and informative. Please send us an e-mail to share your thoughts and tell us what topics you would like to see in future editions. Enjoy the rest of your summer! Best Regards,
Sharon R. Bock, Esq.
County Finances at Your Fingertips If you wish you knew a little more about what government does with your hard-earned tax dollars, now you can! The Clerk & Comptroller’s office puts County finances at your fingertips with the second edition of Checks & Balances: Your Guide to County Finances available at www.mypalmbeachclerk.com. The guide was released in May following Clerk Bock’s “Fiscal Year 2007 Year-End Financial Review,” an annual presentation to the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners that provides important information about the county’s debt, investments and overall financial health. Read more online.
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Fiscal Responsibility Leads to Budget Reductions Fiscal responsibility is not just necessary when times are tough, revenues are low and budgets strained. A true trustee of the public’s hard-earned money is fiscally responsible even when the going is good, like when property tax revenue soared during Palm Beach County’s real estate boom. The Clerk & Comptroller is committed to protecting your tax dollars, in good times and in bad. The office’s conservative approach to spending has allowed it to slash the County-funded portion of our budget for two consecutive years—the only constitutional officer to do so. Read more online.
Future of Court Computer Decided Instead of continuing to waste millions maintaining and modifying a failing court computer system, local criminal justice partners have unanimously agreed to pursue a new system that will meet everyone’s needs, ultimately saving money in the long run. Read more online.
Clerk Collects $4.2 Million in Past Due Fines
In an effort to increase revenue for the county and state, Palm Beach County Clerk & Comptroller Sharon Bock has stepped up efforts to collect unpaid fines. From August 2007 to July 2008, the Clerk’s office has collected more than $4.2 million in past-due fees, fines and judgments issued in the county. Read more online.
Florida Legislature Increases Several Court Fees and Charges Governor Charlie Crist signed legislation that increased more than 140 court-related fees on July 1, 2008. The bill, titled CS/SB 1790, raises fees on a wide variety of court-related activities, including divorce filings, tenant evictions, applying for a public defender, recording official documents, traffic infraction fines and some costs related to criminal prosecutions. Read more online.
Recording Change: DR-219 No Longer Required On June 1, 2008, the Florida Department of Revenue eliminated the Return for Transfer of Interest in Real Property form, or DR-219, which was previously required when recording with the Clerk’s office a deed or other document transferring property. In place of the form, which included information such as the sale or transfer price of the property, the Clerk’s office will accept the property transfer amount in a transmittal letter or memo accompanying the deed. Read more online.
Courthouse Expansion Leads to Expanded Service The Clerk & Comptroller’s branch office in the South County Courthouse has moved into a bigger, better and brand new section of the facility. On July 7, the office opened inside the newly constructed 75,000 sq. ft. portion of the courthouse adjacent to the existing building at 200 W. Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach, Fla. Read more online.
Clerks Continue Effort to Clarify Role as County Auditor Legislation to clarify the Clerk & Comptroller’s constitutional and historical role as the independent county auditor of public tax dollars gained support during the 2008 session of the Florida Legislature. Read more online.
Is your organization a good community partner? Success for an organization is no longer based solely on profit or quality of service and products—being socially responsible is also important. Tell us how you are creating new programs and services that help the environment, give back to the community, enhance fiscal responsibility, or improve ethical practices. Read more online.
On May 28, Clerk Bock hosted a Volunteer Appreciation Ceremony to celebrate the many volunteers who have collectively provided thousands of hours of service to the Clerk’s office and also saved taxpayers thousands. Read more online.
Leadership Palm Beach County honored Clerk Sharon Bock this spring with a 2008 Leadership Excellence Award during its Fourth Annual Leadership Excellence Award Banquet. The award recognizes exceptional Leadership Program graduates who have made significant and notable contributions for the betterment of the community. Read more online.
The Clerk & Comptroller’s office is committed to promoting ethics and accountability throughout Palm Beach County. In June, Clerk Bock and other members of the Clerk staff participated in Leadership Palm Beach County’s Ethics Initiative, a “think tank” of local leaders committed to creating a culture of ethics in the County. In an effort to educate the public about other matters, the Clerk also speaks regularly about County finances, fiscal responsibility and other issues important to taxpayers. Read more online.
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Summer is often a slow time of year in Palm Beach County, but the season has been anything but slow for the Clerk & Comptroller’s office. In this edition of Your Public Trustee, you’ll read about the results of our efforts to reduce expenses and increase revenue in our office. In fact, for the second consecutive year, the Clerk's office submitted a reduced budget to the county, saving taxpayers a total of $1.9 million! And we brought in an additional $4 million by expanding our efforts to collect court fines. In addition, we’ve put user-friendly information about Palm Beach County finances at your fingertips with our second edition of Checks & Balances: Your Guide to County Finances. We’re also planning for our annual 
