Westmoreland County Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton conceded Monday her office has been scrambling to keep up with its workload.

“We understand it is an issue, and we are making progress slowly and we will do whatever we have to do to make it happen,” Hamilton said after another judge took her to task for being tardy in processing court filings.

Hamilton, a four-term Republican, will appear Wednesday morning before Common Pleas Judge Harry Smail Jr. She is expected to respond to allegations her office did not file a decision in a timely manner affirming the state’s refusal to refund more than $28.9 million in taxes paid by the estate of the late Tribune-Review publisher Richard Mellon Scaife, who died in 2014.

Hamilton last week was ordered to appear for a March contempt of court hearing before Judge Jim Silvis. That scheduled appearance is related to allegations her office failed to meet deadlines to file adoption records and transmit appeal notices in child custody cases dating to 2019.

She blamed the delays on staffing shortages. Five of the 13 full-time jobs in the office are vacant, Hamilton said.

She’s proposed a staff restructuring with higher salaries, but county commissioners haven’t acted on it.

Hamilton worked as a lawyer before being elected in 2011 to run the county office that processes estate records, marriage licenses and adoptions. She was unopposed in her reelection bid last fall.

She said health issues prevented her from being a constant presence in the Register of Wills office over the past year.

“I’m doing the best I can. It’s been difficult personally and professionally, but we’ve just got to get it done,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton was at the courthouse Monday and said she and her staff finished work on the Scaife estate court records that had been untouched since Dec. 13. That is the date Smail filed an order rejecting the estate’s bid seeking to get a portion of the $100 million in taxes it paid after Scaife’s death a decade ago.

Hamilton, along with Westmoreland County’s other elected officials, received 3.5% pay raises in 2024. She now earns an annual salary of $89,274. As an elected official, there is no requirement she make daily appearances in the office.

Commissioner Ted Kopas, a Democrat, on Monday criticized Hamilton’s leadership in the Register of Wills Office.

“Adoptions should be a priority for whatever staff she has. It is not hard work,” Kopas said.

Commissioners have no authority over Hamilton, he said.

“She’s an independently elected row officer and the only recourse is removal by the state Senate. It would be right for the Senate to look at this situation,” Kopas said.

Republican Commissioner Doug Chew said he was not familiar with operations of the office but would support Hamilton.

Republican Commissioner Sean Kertes did not respond to a request for comment.

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