County Clerk & Elections

Next Election Date November 2, 2021 City/School General Election


Notice
The audit for the 2021 City/School Election was held on Wednesday, November 3, 2021 at 12:30 pm at the County Clerk's Office in accordance with KSA 25-3009. The two races and precincts to be audited were City of Ottawa Commissioner in the 2nd Precinct and USD 289 School Board Position 6 in Peoria Township. The audit results and certification are available in the County Clerk's Office.

The Board of County Canvassers will meet on November 8, 2021 at 9:00a.m. in the Historic Courthouse in the second floor courtroom.

Responsibilities

The county clerk, an elected position, plays a unique role in county government. The Kansas Constitution and Kansas Statutes place a great amount of legal responsibility on the position.

  • Acts as a secretary to the Board of County Commissioners, either in person or by deputy
  • Keeps the seal
  • Records the papers of the board
  • Signs the records of proceedings and attests to them with the seal of the county
  • Repository for all Board records

County Election Officer

County election officer is responsible for:

  • All local elections
  • Voter registration
  • Voter history
  • Candidates filing for local offices
  • Campaign expense reports
  • Advance voting applications and mailings
  • Election results

Freedom of Information

The County Clerk is the County Freedom of Information Officer (FIO). As the FIO, the County Clerk is responsible for:

  • Providing educational materials and information concerning the Kansas Open Records Act
  • Assisting to resolve questions relating to the opens records act
  • Responding to inquiries relating to the Kansas Open Records Act

Tax Administration

The county clerk must finalize the assessed values on all real estate and personal property in the county and maintains tax accounts. After the tax levies are set, special assessments are applied. Then the county clerk prepares the tax roll and tax statements.

The Clerk's Office also processes all Neighborhood Revitalization Applications.

Financial Administration

  • By law the clerk shall observe all claims against the county, certify that the budget is available to cover all claims, and charge the county treasurer with those claim payments
  • The clerk shall have a good working knowledge of all county department budgets and expenditures in order to present the claims to the county commissioners
  • The clerk, for audit purposes, must keep clear audit trail for the accounting of all receipts and disbursements
  • All account payables are processed twice a month
  • Balance, distribute and certify motor vehicle tax
  • Assist in budget preparation of 33 various tax entities in the county
  • Gather information for the annual independent audit by a CPA hired by the county commissioners
  • Prepares and issues 1099s