Township Clerk's Office

Mission Statement

To collect, retain, archive, and efficiently disseminate all official information of record for the Township. With respect and appreciation for this island’s rich historical heritage, the Clerk’s staff will enthusiastically serve the public, the Township Board, and the general administration, while planning for the ever changing demands of the future.

Clerk’s Office - Service Statement

The Township Clerk’s office is made up of 3 individuals: Ute O’Connor, the elected Township Clerk; Sharon Bennett, the Board appointed Deputy Clerk / Clerk’s Office Manager; and Janice Huber, the Election Coordinator /Clerk’s Secretary. The Clerk’s statuatory financial duties are performed by the Finance Department with oversight of the Clerk and under the direction of the Finance Director, Ann Silver. Barbara Thornley and Dona Depa of the Township Supervisor’s and Manager’s staff, also perform some administrative duties under the auspices of the Clerk’s Office. All members of this team are dedicated to continuing training and education in order to keep up with ever-changing policies and legislation, as well as with technological advances in records management and election management.

The Clerk’s office is responsible for keeping all official Township documents and the Elected Clerk is responsible for verifying and signing most official Township documents. Our office also maintains records of all meetings of the Township Board and its Commissions. The Deputy Clerk is responsible for attendingTownship Board meetings and recording the minutes and publishing a summary in the newspaper. Additionally, all bids, summons, lawsuits and legal documents, ordinances, applications and other official documents are forwarded to our office for processing and filing. All records of the Township, except those which have some legally described confidential nature, are public records placed under the supervision of the Clerk and are open to inspection at reasonable times. All requests for documents under the Freedom of Information Act are processed by the Clerk’s office.

The Clerk also administers the Oath of Office to all new Commission/Committee members, election officials, and Township Board members, as well as to Police Officers and new staff members under the Clerk’s supervision. We also provide public notary service to residents at no charge.

In the fall of 2001, the Clerk’s office became an official Passport Acceptance Agency, which allows us to provide another service for the convenience of the public. Both new and renewal passport applications are accepted and processed in the Clerk’s office Monday through Friday by appointment from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The process of running elections has become increasingly automated. In June, 1998 we became part of the State of Michigan’s Qualified Voter File system. The Michigan Qualified Voter File (QVF), tracks the movement of every voter statewide. The State’s primary reason for implementing this system was to help eliminate duplication of voter registrations and the potential for fraud. This process helps us to keep accurate track of our voters and helps elections to run more smoothly.

Our office registers all Grosse Ile residents to vote and also cancels voters as they move out of this jurisdiction; we also verify and validate all petitions and reconcile all absentee ballot signatures with the original registration. The Clerk’s office prepares for and conducts every election for our community as part of this democratic process. We must tabulate and reconcile all election results and report them to the proper authorities. Prior to each election, tests are conducted on the election program discs and tabulating machines to detect any errors, thereby guaranteeing accuracy for each election. In addition, absentee ballot applications are mailed to disabled residents and senior citizens in the Township for each election. This ensures every resident an opportunity to exercise his or her voting right. The Township Clerk hires,trains and supervises election inspectors for all elections. This training maintains a high level of understanding and an awareness of the constantly changing election laws, among our election workers/poll inspectors and serves to ensure a successful election process every time.

Fiscal Year 2001-2002 Departmental Accomplishments

Total Number of Residents (2000 Census)	10,894
Total Registered Voters	8,252
Percentage of Residents Registered to Vote	75%
New Voter Registrations Processed	335
Voter Changes Processed	632
Voter Cancellations Processed	268
Solicitation Permits Processed	1
Freedom of Information Requests Processed	68
Bid Openings	31
New Passports Processed	69
Renewal Passports Processed	18

2002/2003 Goals and Objectives

1. To continue streamlining and improving the voting processes we employ.
2. To continue improving our record management system.
3. To complete the codification of the Municipal and Zoning Codes and to provide access to the
   most frequently requested ordinance information on our website at www.grosseile.com.
4. Continuing education of staff to maintain and broaden high quality customer services.
5. To provide more information to the public by way of the township website, including forms, applications and the Board ofTrustees meeting agendas and minutes.
6. To continue to providing friendly and efficient customer service to our residents at all times.

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