Donald C. Spencer, the Rosa County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller announced he pre-filed for reelection in 2016. Elected in 2012, Spencer touted his office’s fiscal prowess, and embrace of technology as a means of streamlining procedures.
In his press release, Spencer said, “We have streamlined office procedures by having foreclosure sales and tax deed sales online. Our case work is now paperless and clerks no longer take court files to court. Judges use the Smartbench technology which allows them to view all images online. All cases are filed online using the e-file system and even our timesheets are now paperless. We now pay our vendors through direct Automated Clearing House payments and no longer send checks. We also have a kiosk in the Administration Building that accepts cash, credit or debit card payments for child support and traffic infractions.”
These measures, Spencer said, make his office more and more a paperless one and therefore save money. “We’ve saved over $10,000 a year going paperless. We no longer have to buy file folders. Our monthly paper expense has gone down from $845 a month to $343 saving almost $500 a month.”
For smart-phone users, Spencer said an app exists to connect users to the clerk’s office. He said the app is another way to bring people to the Clerk of Court’s website where they can pay various items online using a credit card. It’s available on Apple products now and soon will come to Android. Search for “SRCCC” to find it.
If reelected, Spencer said he will continue modernizing the clerk of court office. “Everything is advancing so fast. If you sit back and wait, you will be playing catch up…We’re one of the more advanced counties in the state.” He said when he first ran he wanted to put Santa Rosa County on the map and has done so. For example, he said the Arizona Supreme Court has contacted his office about incorporating technology.
The release also notes the Pre-Trial Release Program saving the county $1,244,092. As reported in the May 2 edition of the Santa Rosa Press Gazette, the program allows those accused of misdemeanor crimes to await trial out of jail and under probation. Spencer said the program saves money by not paying for daily housing expenses at the jail.
Spencer also said he’s happy with his office’s low turnover rate. “What impresses me is our turnover drop… from 30 percent to less than 4 percent since coming into office…All I know is we listen to our employees. They come up with ideas. I meet with them and their managers and if they’re good, we implement them. It’s not just me, it’s their department. I have an open door policy…I treat them how they want to be treated.”
Spencer has a business degree with a major in risk in insurance from Florida State University. He worked for the department of financial services for 24 years, 20 of those in the investigation office in Pensacola. Afterwards, he spent four and a half years in court security. Spencer said, “We’re advancing in technology and I want to make sure to continue to go the same direction.”
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Spencer touts modernization for reelection