To the Citizens:

Being a Public Servant is not just a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. job for me.  I never want to take this position for granted.  It has been an honor and my pleasure serving the citizens of Fannin County personally and professionally.

As many of you already know, I have an experienced, kind and courteous staff.  These ladies are knowledgeable and always helpful.  I’m blessed to work with such fine ladies.  Please call or stop by my office if my staff or I can be of any assistance to you.

Thank you for allowing me to serve and I would appreciate your support and vote in the Primary Election on May 24 and in the General Election on November 8, 2016.

I am married to Eric W. Chastain, and we have one daughter, Morgan. Travis and Betty Couch of McCaysville, are my parents; and my in-laws are Billy Wayne Chastain and Kathy Chastain of McCaysville.

I’ve lived in Fannin County all my life, and have worked in the clerk’s office for approximately 28 years.  I’ve been the Clerk of the Superior Court going on 16 years.

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Qualifications and Experience

• Completed all education requirements through the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia. In addition to the mandatory required hours taught by the University and as set by law for each year, I also received the Superior Court Clerks’ Certificate for completing 72 additional hours of curriculum and projects from UGA in  November 2007.
• Elected District Chairperson for the 9^th District 2007-2009.  The 9^th District is comprised of 15 counties.
• Elected Clerk of the Year in the 9^th District in 2008
• Presently serving and appointed to the Training Council for Clerks of Superior Court of Georgia’s 159 counties.  We work with the University of Georgia to provide adequate training for all clerks in the state.
• In good standing with the Georgia Clerk’s Authority, which has enabled us to obtain computers, scanners and printers for the Clerk’s office at no cost to the county.
• Presently serving and appointed to the board of the Georgia Superior Court Clerks Cooperative Authority (GSCCCA)
• Presently enrolled in Leadership Fannin 2016 offered by the Fannin County Chamber of Commerce

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COMPUTER/ ONLINE PROJECTS within the Clerks Office

I am always looking for ways to bring the Clerk’s Office into the future as the budget permits.

We have several computer/online projects going on presently:

• Real Estate Dept. online with deeds, liens, plats, etc. from 1992 – present with the GA Clerks Authority. (searchable through website gsccca.org).  We are presently scanning all deeds going backward to 1854.
• Among the first to start electronic filing (efiling) of UCC’s, which is a type of lien in our real estate dept. (searchable through website gsccca.org)
• To become a Notary Public you must apply online (gsccca.org)
• We are now accepting electronic filings within the Civil Dept.,… any civil action and child support record, saving time and money for the county and state.
• Within the Criminal Dept., we are only accepting transcripts at this time.  It’s still a work in progress.
• For public inspection, search terminals are set up and available within the office to search Civil, Criminal, and real estate records. Civil and Criminal areas have sensitive information; therefore, at this time only indexes will be available for online search purposes.

All records are public except Adoptions, Juvenile Records, Military Records, and cases sealed by court order.  These records are not available for public inspection.

Also, I participate in the Youth Apprentice Program at Fannin County High School.  Students receive credit while working and obtaining job experience.

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There are many functions within the Clerks Office:

Judicial                                                      Real Estate

Civil                Garnishments                                      Deeds

Criminal          Juvenile                                               Liens

Adoptions       Child Support                                     Plats

Board of Equalization                                                 Anything relating to property

Business/Administrative                            Miscellaneous

Day-to-Day office preparation                                   Notaries

Coordinating and organizing Courts                          Military records

Calendars for each court day                                      Trade names

Jury Management

Accounting

Collection of Fines & Fees

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