The County Clerk is responsible for the receipt, indexing, storage and retrieval of documents, including legal records pertaining to ownership of real property and all court records for Supreme Court and County Court. The County Clerk’s Office is also responsible for the collection of revenue for these services, which are provided to several levels of government and the general public.

Outcomes

• All documents will be completely and accurately prepared and recorded.
• Documents will be retrieved in a clean, legible format in a timely fashion.

Performance Targets

• Maintain accuracy and clarity in recording and retrieving all information.
• Standardize all procedures and fees through participation in the New York State Association of County Clerks.
• Inform and update office personnel on all changes in law and technology that affect the day-to-day operation of the Office.
• Achieve 100% customer satisfaction regarding services they have received from the County Clerk’s Office.
• Decrease by 10% the amount of time taken to produce records for the public.
• Ensure that the Clerk’s Office responds to all Freedom of Information requests in a timely fashion as required by law.
• Reduce by 100% the number of returned personal checks that are not repaid by the customer using another method of payment.

• Implement Optical Imaging System to improve management of records and reduce storage space needs.
• Coordinate activities and information exchange with the Albany County Real Property Tax Service Agency to enhance tax enforcement. The County Clerk will receive a five-dollar filing fee for all redemption of delinquent property within Albany County.

Authority

The Albany County Clerk’s legal authority is derived from Article 6, Section 6 of the New York State Constitution, Article 16 of the Albany County Charter and other provisions of New York State and County law.

Responsibilities

• Process and store records relating to the ownership of property, such as deeds, mortgages, satisfactions and assignments.
• Process and store court records filings and collect State court fees.
• Process applications for pistol permits, passports and veterans’ vendor permits.
• Process Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests and make plans and proposed regulations available to the public.

Organization

The Albany County Clerk’s Office is staffed with 30 full-time positions, 1 part-time position and 3 County Department for Aging part-time positions. Major organizational functions include front counter, record room, systems/data entry, finance and public information, as well as the Albany County Hall of Records.