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Douglas County Clerk

4-year term, $123,839.04 (2023)The Clerk/Comptroller s Office is assigned to: Issue marriage licenses; Serve as the official record-keeper of the Douglas County Board; Issue liquor and tobacco licenses to establishments in Douglas County, but only to those establishments located outside of the county’s cities and villages; Maintain Douglas County financial accounting records; Audit all payments made by Douglas County; Process payroll for all Douglas County employees; andRecord military discharge documents.

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    Dan Esch
    (Dem)

Biographical Information

What are your immediate and/or long-term goals for making the court system easier for members of the public to navigate?

Please identify two ways the clerk’s office could provide better and more customer-friendly access to court and vital records.

What new technologies do you think might improve the efficiency of the clerk’s office?

Education Bachelor's Degree & Certified Public Manager Certicate, University of Nebrska-Omaha
Current Public Office, dates held Douglas County Clerk: November 2015 - Present
Volunteer experience Ancient Order of Hibernianas-Fr. Flanagan Division, Cheer Up Omaha, Omaha-Cornhusker Cosmopolitan Club, Douglas County Health Center Foundation, Downtown Omaha Inc.
This office is not the clerk for the courts, but we get many emails, phone calls, and in-person visitors who have court-related questions or are seeking court-related services. Our goal is to make sure we get them in contact with the proper people in the Courthouse. We work hard to provide clear directions and contact information so when that individual leaves our office or gets off the phone with us, they know where to go next.
The County Clerk's Office issues marriage licenses. We are in the process of updating our website to provide the capability for people to submit their marriage license application through an online portal. However, the marriage license system is statewide, so we need the State of Nebraska's assistance to accomplish this. Recent conversations with them have been promising.

For a record of an existing marriage license, we have an online search, and we respond quickly to records requests. When we receive a request via email or in the mail, we usually get the record sent back to that person that same day.
During this past term, the County Clerk's Office implemented a new Enterprise Content Management system that has worked really well. The team is able to find records quicker. The County Clerk's Office also uses it for our Accounts Payable function, and we have seen our Accounts Payable team be able to process claims and invoices at a quicker rate.

Douglas County has recently established an Artificial Intelligence Task Force. There are certainly opportunities with this, but we need to be thoughtful before we start utilizing it. I see it as a way aid to employees and residents.