PLATFORM
The District Court Clerk is responsible for maintaining all records and funds for the District Court, as well as all records for the Separate Juvenile Court of Lancaster County. Additionally, the District Court Clerk is the Jury Commissioner for Lancaster County and is the record keeper for the Mental Health Board. The Office requires a Clerk with the Education, Skill, Leadership, and Experience to lead it.
ISSUES
Education and Experience
Simply put, Troy has the right education, skills, and experience to lead the Clerk of the District Court.
He is the only District Court Clerk in the State of Nebraska who holds a law degree, and he is a licensed attorney in the State of Nebraska. “Having a licensed attorney in this position is a huge asset. As a lawyer I am able to assist not only the Court itself, but the lawyers and public who rely on the Clerk’s Office to perform the numerous legal duties and responsibilities it has to the Court." He understands not only what the Clerk can and should do, but just as important, what the Clerk cannot do, and still remain neutral and fair to all sides in a legal dispute.
Having been the Clerk for over 8 years, Troy's experience with the various responsibilities of the Clerk make him the best choice to lead this office.
Looking to the Future
In a constantly changing legal landscape, the Clerk's Office must maintain not only it's current competencies, but must also keep up to date on new laws, procedures, and docket management systems. Troy has instituted a robust in-house training and education program for Clerk staff. This dedication and focus has not only increased the efficiency of the office, but decreased the likelihood of error and inaccuracy within the Court’s records, and is continually updated to train staff on the most current procedures.
Troy also recognizes that the records the Court keeps are vital to future needs. The Clerk maintains, via microfilm, records that date back to the late 1800s! Currently, some of that microfilm is starting to deteriorate. In 2021, Troy began a project to re-scan the thousands of rolls of microfilm, stop any deterioration, and digitize those records. Upon completion of this project, not only will these historical court records be saved, but they will be made available online to the public so they can have immediate access to those records from wherever they are.
Troy's dedication and focus to the future has not only increased the efficiency of the Clerk of the District Court, but has decreased the likelihood of error and inaccuracy within the Court’s records.
Fiscal Responsibility
Troy understands that he is a steward of taxpayer money, and strives to control costs within the District Court Clerk's Office. During his time as the Clerk, his annual budget increase has averaged less than a 3% annual growth.
Troy continues to control these costs by incorporating technological capabilities, such as the Jury Management System, and ELEMENTS, the Mental Health Board records management system. These systems allow Clerk staff to do "more with less," and allow the Clerk's capabilities to grow without the need to hire more staff. These systems also slash paper, printing, and mailing costs for the County.
Leadership
Troy served in the United States Air Force for over twelve years, reaching the rank of major. In that time, he gained and sharpened his leadership abilities that make him the best choice to lead the Clerk's Office with over 25 employees performing dozens of different functions. Under his leadership, the office of the Clerk of the District Court has continued to modernize, has improved its education and training program, and has re-focused itself on one of its core responsibilities - creating, maintaining, and preserving the Court records.
Access to the Courts
Troy is dedicated to providing access to the Court for all. Although the Clerk cannot offer legal advice or instruct litigants how to pursue their case, Troy has instituted a customer-focused approach to working with the public as they come to the Courts, and provides those in need of guidance help finding options for them to access legal advice, including the Nebraska Supreme Court's Self Help website, Legal Aid of Nebraska, and other "self-help" resources.
During the COVID pandemic, when many offices turned to working remotely, Troy recognized that the Clerk's Office had to remain open to the public. Through the use of creative staff scheduling, cross-training of staff, and technology, he was able ensure the public still had full access to the Courts, and kept the doors of the District Court Clerk open for normal hours to all customers, without the need for an appointment or other special-request access.