Michael Boling, Circuit Court Clerk, elected KCCCA Second Supreme Court Representative

Michael Boling, Hancock Circuit Court Clerk

By Jennifer Wimmer

Michael Boling, Circuit Court Clerk, is now serving as the Second Supreme Court Representative of the Kentucky Circuit Court Clerk Association (KCCCA). He was appointed to the new officership position at the KCCCA Conference, on May 25, at the Galt House, in Louisville. There is one representative for each Supreme Court District.
The Second Supreme Court District, that Hancock County is a part of, was previously represented by Herb McKee, the Henderson County Clerk.
Michael explains that being a Representative, “is like a seat on the board of directors of the KCCCA. It does give me kind of a seat at the table with any big decisions, or policies, or anything that is going to be implemented. It is something that I had wanted. I’m happy with it.”
He will remain in his position as Clerk. He took over for Noel Quinn as Circuit Court Clerk when she retired, in 2019. “We’re the custodians of all court records,” he said, “We have to make sure, whether it’s a criminal case, divorce, or civil case, that all of the documents related to that case are secure and in proper order.
That’s the record of the law. A lot of people don’t realize, they thought that when the driver’s license went away that we lost everything to do. That was a very small part of our job. We keep up with all of the court records, record the hearings, and make sure that all of the documents are sent to the places they need to go – it is a big job.”
The Circuit Court Clerk’s primary job, he said, is to be the custodian of court records for district, circuit, and family court. And, until last summer, they also issued driver’s licenses. The regional offices of the Department of Transportation voted to take the issuing of driver’s licenses out of the Clerk’s offices.
Michael has been on the Legislative Committee for the Circuit Clerk’s Association since he started as Clerk, and outlines what that entails: “We monitor the State Legislature, whenever they’re in session, and try to identify and follow the progress of any legislation that pertains to the courts, or any kind of action the court does,” he said.
In the most recent session that just finished in April, Michael said they were able to successfully lobby for the deputy clerks to receive raises for the first time in several years. “They got a $2,000 base pay increase for each position, and then an 8% raise on top of that.” The KCCCA hires a lobbyist on their behalf, to help them achieve these goals.
“We’re really proud of being able to get the raises for the employees,” he said, “because, on average, clerks and court justice employees, are generally about 5-8% below the average pay for county employees. A lot of people don’t realize.”
His responsibilities for serving on the legislative committee, he said, include “monitoring the legislature to identify any kind of laws or changes in rules that might impact our office, so that we can be ahead of the curve with changes.”
This helps their staff be more prepared to deal with any changes, when it comes to the law. “For instance,” he said, “there will be several new laws that will go into effect on July 1. It gives us a heads up, so that we’re not surprised by anything.”
Anytime the legislature is in session, it is very time consuming, he said. “Because, they introduce a ton of bills. We get assigned a specific number of them, and we have to go through and read them, and decide if they would have any important impact on our office or our county.”
The State Legislature now meets every year. In budget years, which is even numbered years, they have a 60-day session that starts in January. That is when they do the budgets for all the state agencies, and for the judicial, executive, and legislative branches. “It is the busy year – they set budgets and salaries,” Michael said.

On the odd years, they have a 30-day session. “And in those,” he said, “typically, they’re not anywhere near as busy as the even year session is. But, things can come up, in an odd year session. Last year, they brought up judicial realignment to the thirty-eighth circuit, which Hancock County is a part of, and has been a part of since the modern Kentucky court system was created in 1976.
Through monitoring this – keeping an eye on these bills that were filed, we were able to become aware of it fairly quickly, and with a lot of partners, were able to defeat that. If HC had become part of the sixth circuit, we would have had to share eight judges with Daviess County. With us being so small, we were going to be getting the leftovers. That is one positive thing that has come out of being on the legislative committee.”
The computer program Bill Watch, on the Kentucky.gov website, is a tool Michael uses to track everything that’s going on in the House of Representatives and in the Senate. “It gives you a breakdown on every bill that’s filed, and who sponsors it. You can pull it up with the tap of the mouse, and read the proposed legislation. Some of those are hundreds of pages, some are less.
We get assigned a certain amount, usually it’s the first 20. It’s my responsibility to look at those, and see if there is anything that pertains to us. There are probably 25-30 of us across the state that serve on the legislative committee, so we each get a set amount of numbers, we split it up, each one of us identifies things that we think are important, and then everybody starts watching them,” he said.
Anything that you have questions about, Michael says to reach out to him. “I’d be happy to share what I know with anyone who wants to know about it. That is really the best way for the public to become better educated, is to ask questions about why something is happening and how something gets done.
Anytime anyone wants to ask me questions about any of this related to our office, or to the court system or whatever – please call me, email me, or come into the office,” he said.
The phone number is 270-929-9748, or go to the Kentucky Court of Justice Home Page, and there is a tab for all 120 counties. Hit the Hancock County tab, and it will send you to the site. His email is: [email protected].
Michael also serves as a representative for Hancock County on the River Valley Behavioral Health Board, and the Audubon Area Community Services Board. He is the Chairman of the South Hancock Family Resource Services Center Board, and a member of the Lewisport Lions Club.
Michael’s fiancé, Aleta Sisk, is the Director of Special Education for Hancock County Schools. Together they are blessed with five children: Daniel, Logan, Jordan, Elijah, and Jonah. Daniel & Chelsea Boling have blessed them with two grandchildren: Easton & Danilu.