Get to Know Your Creek County Court Clerk
Brooke DeLong
Staff Writer
Have you ever wondered who organizes and maintains all of Creek County’s District Court proceedings? Amanda VanOrsdol started her career as a legal secretary for Judge Ihrig, moved to the District Attorney’s office and when the Court Clerk retired mid-term, Amanda applied for the position. She was able to finish out the term, run for re-election, and win in 2011.
She loves her position and is passionate about “making it better and leaving it better.” Amanda operates the Court Clerk’s office in Sapulpa where she has fourteen full-time employees and in Bristow, with four staff members. While she has a personal office, she can often be found at a desk in the back of the work area where she keeps busy right alongside her staff scanning documents.
She has faced some challenges since taking office, losing over $300,000 in budget cuts by the State and County. The office also lost six employees due to State cut-backs, leaving seven employees whose salaries come from the State.
The Court Clerk’s office handles documents for adoptions, probates, criminal cases, protective orders, civil matters such as name changes, lawsuits, and more. This entails inputting data, scanning and filing the thousands of documents that come in yearly.
The staff is cross-trained and collects money for about thirty different agencies including CLEET, OSBI, and state judicial funds. Monthly and quarterly reports are done. The office is audited and Amanda is transparent. Video cameras are set up for her employees’ safety.
She reminds her staff that people often come to their office under less-than-happy circumstances such as divorce or protective orders. She encourages them to strive for great customer service because “a smile on your face might make their day.”
When taking office, one of Amanda’s goals was to digitize old documents on microfilm making public access easier. Juvenile, adoption, guardianship and mental health records are never public.
HB 1091 took effect on November 1, 2019, implementing a $10 preservation fee added to civil filings creating the Court Clerk’s Records Management and Preservation Fund. Amanda is proud her team had already “surpassed their goals” and are “ahead of the game.” Funds will be used to continue their progress.
She confirmed she is running for re-election as Creek County Court Clerk in the 2020 election.
Amanda VanOrsdol, Creek County Court Clerk Photo by Brooke DeLong
