Burnet County District Clerk Casie Walker and her staff serve as the custodians for district court records, including some dating to the 1800s. Walker took office in 2011 and recently won re-election, unopposed. The Burnet County voters appreciate Walker’s work as do The Picayune readers and KBEY 103.9 FM Radio Picayune listeners, who ‘elected’ her their Locals Love Us favorite city/county employee in the Burnet area. Staff photo by Daniel Clifton
As Burnet County district clerk, Casie Walker, along with her staff, is responsible for thousands of pages of district court records. While more recent records are often filed online, or have been digitized, the office also houses volumes of handwritten records from the late 19th century and early 20th century.
“I love looking through some of these,” said Walker, standing by a shelf that holds some of the oldest files.
Walker is quick to admit she enjoys the clerical side of the job, but it’s not the main reason she loves the office. “I would say it’s working with the public, the attorneys, and the judges,” Walker said. “That’s the best part of about this job.”
It shows. She recently won re-election in a contest in which she didn’t even draw an opponent. When Walker took the oath of office on Jan. 1, she began her third term as Burnet County district clerk.
Along with winning that contest, Walker also picked up the Locals Love Us award for favorite city/county employee in the Burnet area as voted on by The Picayune readers and KBEY 103.9 FM Radio Picayune listeners.
District clerk is an elected county office. Walker is the official custodian of records in the district court as well as the county court at law. She’s assisted by a staff of six. The district clerk and staff interact with the public as soon as the doors unlock at the Burnet County Courthouse Annex in Burnet through the time those doors close.
Sometimes, the people walking through the door aren’t happy to be there, especially if they are in court regarding a lawsuit or an indictment. A misconception people have about the district clerk’s office is it’s the one suing or indicting you, but staff are just handling the paperwork and records related to those procedures.
“We’re just the custodians of the records,” Walker added. “We take care of the records.”
Despite some people coming in a bit ruffled from time to time, the Burnet County district clerk’s staff still works hard to help them.
Though Walker was elected as district clerk in November 2010 and took office in January 2011, she came to work in the Burnet County office in 2004. She admitted that, at the time, she didn’t really know what the district clerk and their staff did, but Walker quickly learned and fell in love with the job.
The office has undergone some big changes, mostly revolving around technology. One of the biggest challenges was when the state of Texas began requiring attorneys to electronically file documents. While it is a state mandate, district clerks such as Walker are the ones tasked with implementing it.
“It takes a little time to get everyone on board, but they’re seeing the benefit of it,” Walker added.
That’s just one thing that reflects commitment to community by Walker and her staff.
daniel@thepicayune.com
