Chancery Clerk 2024-2028 term of office
Chancery Clerk William Jeremy Carr
Address: Wayne County Courthouse, 609 Azalea Drive, Waynesboro, MS 39367
Office: 601-735-2873
Fax: 601-735-6224
Email: chanceryclerk@waynecountyms.gov
Chancery Clerk’s responsibilities
The Wayne County Chancery Clerk is elected, at-large, for a four-year term of office and is responsible for attending all sessions of chancery court while keeping all minute books in which records and directions of the chancellor and proceedings of the court are kept.
State law prescribes the Chancery Clerk record and preserve all land records, including deeds of trusts, mortgages, mineral leases and plats of land surveys. The Clerk or Deputy Clerk is required to give a receipt for every written instrument filed within the office of the Chancery Clerk. The Clerk or Deputy Clerk also receives all bills, petitions, motions, accounts, inventories and other papers and reports on behalf of the county. All records and papers of the Chancery Clerk’s office are subject to inspection and examination by citizens.
The Clerk or Deputy Clerk should show any person inquiring about records where they are located, allow access or make a copy, if requested.
The Chancery Court Clerk also serves as clerk for the board of supervisors. The Clerk or the Deputy Clerk is responsible for attending all supervisors’ meetings and recording the minutes of the board. The Clerk is also responsible for preparing the “docket of claims,” which includes all claims or financial demands against the county in the order in which they are received.
Further, the Chancery Clerk is responsible for keeping a set of books known as the uniform system of accounts for the county as prescribed by the state auditor. These books contain all accounts under headings, so the expenditures under each heading can be known.
The Chancery Clerk is responsible for entering all receipts and expenditures into the system of accounts and balancing the ledgers monthly. This ensures all information needed for budget review is easily accessible.
The Clerk submits to the board each month a report showing all expenditures and liabilities incurred against each separate budget item during the month and, cumulatively, the fiscal year to date.
The Chancery Clerk is also responsible for submitting a certified copy of the tax levy for the upcoming year. This is to show the purpose of the taxes levied and the total tax levy for each separate taxing area in the county, including the state ad valorem tax levy.