Woodford Circuit Clerk Lynne Gilbert
 

Usually, with a new job comes a bit of reorganizing. When Lynne Gilbert assumed the office of Woodford County Circuit Clerk in August 2016, what lay in store was closer to disaster relief.

“There were issues …” a low-key Gilbert said. “We’re moving on and we’ll fix things.”

Though Gilbert remains politely mum on the nature of those problems, a recent quandary over unpaid child support fees has attracted some attention.

Gilbert was elected in March 2016, but took over early when Carol Newtson resigned in July. Newtson’s 15-year tenure was riddled with issues, some of which remained unknown until Gilbert stepped in.

“There was a high absenteeism with Carol, and she did not cooperate with the board. Let’s just say it was tenuous,” Woodford County Board Chairman Stan Glazier sad. “We found a lot of uncollected fees after she resigned. A lot of those were child support fees, but there also were many fines that went uncollected, as well.”

In the latter part of Newtson’s employment, she handed her daughter, Sarah Keim, the equivalent of a full-time job after the Woodford County Board executed a flexible employment freeze.

Newtson also gave out hefty pay raises, some up to 10 percent more than county officials approved of, and her performance became peppered with long absences.

When disputes developed between Newtson and the board, she hired an attorney for legal advice, then asked for reimbursement from the county for legal fees.

Former Woodford County Circuit Clerk Carol Newtson
 

On her first day, Gilbert fired three people, then quickly replaced them with former employees who were fired by Newtson.  Then she began unearthing problem she inherited. Among them, the overdue child support fees.

“I sympathize with the people who are finding out a few years later that there are fees to pay. That would be upsetting to find out years later that there are fees to pay, but they owe it and they have an obligation,” Gilbert said. “On the court side, these debts cannot be forgiven, and there is no statute of limitations on those fees.”

It’s a $3 monthly fee, to be paid directly to the county for its services. It’s an Illinois statute, one that Newtson neglected to enforce for 15 years, according to county records.

Some child support clients paid the fee, but many did not, because they weren’t made aware of it. For some, that added up to more than $300 in unpaid fees.

“It came to my attention in last year’s audit,” Gilbert said.  Soon after, she and her staff began tallying dollars and sending letters to those who owe, though it’s a bit of a challenge to locate some people and acquire valid addresses, she added.

It’s not a process Gilbert said she is thrilled with, but it’s her job to do so; a tenet she followed when she previously worked for Woodford County. For 10 years, Gilbert was the manager of the state’s attorney’s office, and her responsibilities included working with the circuit clerk’s office.

She left to stay home with her children, later working as a secretary for Eureka Community School District 140, until she felt compelled to return to the courthouse.

“Lynne is doing a wonderful job so far, especially when you consider that she stepped into a position that had so many flaws,” Glazier said. “Think about what could be said if she found out there were tens of thousands of dollars due and she failed to collect it. Then she’d just be as guilty as the person responsible.”

Though the circuit clerk’s job description usually doesn’t include such cumbersome challenges, Gilbert continues to untie the knots and tidy up the loose ends without lament. She also passes off much of the credit to her staff.

“My staff is excellent,” she said. “We work together as a team and we keep moving forward.”

—- Woodford circuit clerk makes unpaid fees a priority —