Pete Duncan is Macoupin County’s 27th County Clerk and Recorder. He was elected in 2010 at the age of 24, making him the youngest county elected official in Macoupin history and one of the youngest county officials in the history of Illinois. As Clerk, he serves as the County’s financial officer, administers all elections in the county, extends property tax rates for all county districts, serves as recorder of deeds, is the official keeper of the county’s vital records, and is the clerk of the County Board.
Upon his election, he championed open and accountable government through online access to budgetary and financial information. His efforts led to Macoupin ranking in the top ten counties of the Illinois Policy Institute’s Online Transparency Audit. Since he took office, Macoupin was also selected as one of the first ten Centers for Election Excellence recognizing the county as a leader in safe, secure and inclusive elections that put voters first. Duncan has also taken an office that was still using the same filing and storage systems dating back to when the county started in 1829 and automated nearly all facets of the office. These efforts have shown concrete results by reducing costs, providing more efficient service, and increasing taxpayer satisfaction with the office. Duncan currently serves on the State of Illinois Budgeting for Results Commission and was named one of the Top 25 Under 45 Young Leaders in Macoupin County in 2011.
About The County Clerk’s Office
The County Clerk’s office has six main roles:
- Chief Election Authority for the County. The County Clerk administers all Federal, State and County elections. The Clerk is responsible for registering voters, preparing the ballots, training election judges, securing polling places and all other election related duties.
- Vital Records. The Clerk’s office is the depository for vital records, including birth, death and marriage records occurring in Macoupin County.
- Tax Extensions and Delinquent Taxes. Accepts the filing of the annual budgets, levies, financial reports and boundary changes of all taxing bodies and calculates the tax rates and extensions for each unit of government. The Clerk also attends the annual tax sale, collects all delinquent and forfeited taxes, and is responsible for reimbursing the tax buyers and reporting their percentage income to the Internal Revenue Service.
- Manager of Payroll and Accounts Payable. The Clerk oversees the payroll and insurance of all County employees and also manages the accounts payable and billable.
- Recorder of Deeds. Records all documents and records related to land/structure transactions on properties located in Macoupin County.
- Clerk to the County Board. The Clerk handles filing all matters to be brought before the Board, notifying all Board members of meetings, preparing and publishing the minutes of the Board meetings and keeping accurate files of Board minutes.