Rockdale Constitutional Corner: Clerk of Courts 2018 Review

As usual, the Clerk of Courts Office was a beehive of activity in 2018. Just a few stats:

Jury Summonses: 7,000

Property Tax Appeals: 363

Passport Applications: 2,809

Traffic Citations: 7,711

Real Estate Instruments: 22,890

Criminal and Civil Proceedings for the Superior and State Courts of Rockdale: Tens of Thousands

Beyond the usual recurring activity we process, we were able to achieve some significant milestones as well.  Notable among these are:

Jury Assembly Room

Our first Criminal Record Restriction Forum allowing those arrested but not convicted in Rockdale to have their criminal history restricted from public view. This enabled lots of our citizens to improve their employment potential, to apply for loans and to be eligible for scholarships. It was made possible through the cooperative efforts of the Rockdale and City of Conyers Courts and Justice Agencies. All fees were waived to make it easily accessible to the public.

We also undertook a makeover of our Jury Assembly Room in the basement of the courthouse. After repairing leaks and sources of mold and mildew, we replaced damaged furniture, added some paint, artwork and brighter lighting. Now it is a much more comfortable and inviting place for jurors to perform their civic duty when called.

As Custodians of the Public Record, we are very proud to have Restored and Preserved Book A, the very first volume of land transactions recorded in Rockdale County going back to 1871.  Each deed is hand written in cursive with great attention to penmanship. Also in Book A is the original plat for the original Rockdale County courthouse, which sadly no longer stands.

The restoration process required taking the original glue bound leather book apart page by page, straightening each page individually and encapsulating each in Mylar pockets. We hope to make it available for public display in the near future. We are quite serious about “Preserving the Past While Preparing For the Future.”