Register of Wills says work continues to ease backlog as office restructuring OK'd by commissioners

A restructuring and boost in staff pay approved by West­moreland County commissioners is expected to improve operations in the Register of Wills office.

Filing delays and other deficiencies prompted Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton to be admonished last week by a county judge, who issued a court order that required the office to meet time deadlines to complete its work.

Under the proposal unanimously approved by commissioners and Controller Jeffrey Balzer, acting as the county’s salary board, Hamilton’s 10-person clerical staff received new job descriptions and average raises of about $2,000 annually in an effort to improve recruitment and retention of workers.

The Register of Wills’ 10 clerical employees will earn between $29,500 and $37,900 annually under the new pay scale.

Hamilton on Thursday said her office continues to deal with a backlog of adoption cases.

“We are working diligently and we are almost caught up,” Hamilton said. “We’re still catching up on adoptions, and the court has allowed us to plug along and get caught up.”

Judges Harry Smail Jr. and Christopher Feliciani last week ordered Hamilton’s office to complete pending scanning, docketing and distribution of orders, disposition and estate documents within 10 days; file and process adoption records within five days, and ensure all other outstanding work is finalized in a timely manner.

The court’s intervention was prompted following a series of allegations that work in the courthouse record keeping office responsible for wills and estates, adoptions and marriage licenses was not being promptly completed. Hamilton blamed work delays on staff shortages and issues of insubordination and disloyalty from employees.

The office has been understaffed since the coronavirus outbreak in 2020, Hamilton said. Three new employees are scheduled to start work this month and two vacant jobs remain to be filled, she said.

“I think the restructuring will help. This will allow us to put time into training for our court-related functions we are involved with. I am hoping this will improve our recruitment and help retain the people who are here,” Hamilton said.

Work deficiencies in the Register of Wills Office has been a concern since November 2022, when Judge Jim Silvis issued administrative orders that required Hamilton’s staff to process adoption certificates and appeals within 10 days of those cases being finalized.

Hamilton is slated to appear before Silvis on March 8 to answer contempt of court allegations related to what the judge said was as many as 26 cases that remained outstanding as of late January.

Commissioners conceded the restructuring of Hamilton’s office was necessary and said they adopted her proposal in full to to enable it to perform its duties as required.

“While we’re in no way responsible for the myriad of problems there, we don’t want to be a hindrance for getting them solved,” Commissioner Ted Kopas said.