There shall be elected from the County at large a County Clerk,
whose term of office shall begin with the first day of January next
following election to the position and shall be for four years as
permitted by state legislation. At the time of nomination and election,
and throughout the term of office, the County Clerk shall be and remain
a qualified elector of the County.
The County Clerk shall have the power to appoint such Deputy
County Clerks, assistants, and employees of the office as may be necessary
to perform the duties of the office of County Clerk and as shall be
authorized by the Tompkins County Legislature. All Deputy County Clerks,
assistants, and employees shall be directly responsible to the County
Clerk.
The County Clerk shall be the official registrar of the County,
and except as otherwise provided in this Charter, shall have all the
powers and perform all the duties now or hereafter conferred or imposed
by law upon county clerks, and perform such other and related non-conflicting
duties as may be required by the Tompkins County Legislature.
The County Clerk shall provide at the expense of the County
all books, files, and other necessary equipment for the filing, recording,
and depositing of documents, maps, papers in actions, and special
proceedings of both civil and criminal nature, judgment and lien dockets,
and books for the indexing of the same as directed or authorized by
law.
The County Clerk, pursuant to the Vehicle and Traffic Law, shall
maintain an office of motor vehicles.
The County Clerk shall designate a person or persons who, in
addition to other assigned duties, shall receive all conveyances of
title for recording. Said person or persons shall have the primary
responsibility for the determination that all additional forms required
by law have been completed.
(a)
Except as may otherwise be required by law, all moneys to which the
County Clerk may be entitled under and by virtue of the laws of the
State of New York, or that the County Clerk may receive for services
rendered by the Clerk or the Clerk's office, shall apply to or be
for the benefit of the County and shall be collected and accounted
for by the Clerk and paid over to the County Finance Director without
deduction at such time and on such conditions as the latter may prescribe.
(b)
Within 10 days after the expiration of each month, the County Clerk
shall make, certify, and deliver to the County Finance Director a
full and true statement for that month of all such moneys received
each day by the Clerk or the Clerk's employees in their official capacities.
Such statement shall be in the form the County Finance Director shall
prescribe. At the time of rendering any such statement, the County
Clerk shall pay to the County Finance Director for benefit of the
County the whole amount or the balance of all such moneys received
by the Clerk since the last preceding monthly report.
(c)
Other funds or fees collected by the County Clerk shall be collected,
paid over, deposited, and reported in accordance with the law applicable
thereto.
It shall be the responsibility of the County Clerk to advise
and assist the Tompkins County Legislature in all matters concerning
the preservation, storage, reduction, reproduction, administration,
and disposal of County records. In furtherance of this, the County
Clerk shall consult with the Director of Information Technology Services
to meet records retention requirements.
The Seal of the County of Tompkins shall be the Seal of the
County Clerk, and the County Clerk shall affix or imprint such Seal
upon any and all instruments requiring the same.
