The title "Chancery Clerk" does not adequately describe the various duties and responsibilities attendant to the office. The duties of the Chancery Clerk include, but are not limited to, the following:
Custodian of Public Land Records:
- Receive and record all documents (Warranty Deeds, Deeds of Trust, Powers of Attorney, etc.) filed in Public Land Records
- Create and maintain various indexes for documents filed in public land records (i.e., subdivision index, sectional index,
- direct/reverse index, etc.)
- Process homestead exemption applications and assessment rolls through the State Tax Commission
- Account for all recording fees.
Clerk of the Chancery Court:
- Receive and assign cases to one of our three Chancery Judges
- Maintain the court docket and file all records of the court
- Keep and preserve court minute books
- Issue process for service upon defendants
- Receive and account for various filing fees
- Process all phases of civil commitments, both mental health and drug and alcohol
- Transmit statistical data to the Administrative Offices of the Courts (AOC)
- Transmit divorce and other statistics to the Mississippi Department of Vital Records
- Process court records for appeals to the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals
- Serve as court appointed guardian, administrator, executor, conservator, or commissioner when called upon.
Clerk of the Board of Supervisors:
- Attend all meetings of the Board of Supervisors
- Prepare the minutes of each Board meeting
- Assist the Board in equalizing the assessment rolls of real and personal property
- Compile numerous reports on the Board's behalf and submit them to other state governmental entities, as required by statute
- Receive and process all applications made for homestead exemption and the results to the State Tax Commission.
County Treasurer and County Auditor:
- Receive, disburse, and account for all county funds of whatever nature
- Prepare monthly claims docket, pay all county bills and sign all county checks
- Prepare a monthly report of receipts and disbursements to the Board of Supervisors
- Receive and account for monthly and annual settlements from various county officials, including the Tax Collector, Sheriff & Justice Court Clerk
- Maintain various ledgers and accounts on behalf of other county offices and must examine the books of all offices.
Collector of Delinquent Real Estate Taxes:
- Receive and maintain the list of lands sold for taxes on the last Monday of every August
- Receive, process and account for the redemption of all lands sold for taxes and make a record of the same
- Research owners and lien holders of lands sold for taxes an issue various forms of notice prior to the foreclosure of the right of redemption
- Issue tax deeds (clerk's conveyance) on lands sold for taxes upon maturity.
Other Duties:
- Record and preserve Military Discharges
- Serve as county-wide notary
- Receive and process applications for passports through the U.S. Department of State.