Palm Beach County's investment portfolio $2.3 billion at end of 2006
By Felicia Landerman

Allocation as of December 31, 2006

As of December 31, 2006, Palm Beach County's consolidated investment portfolio, managed by the Clerk & Comptroller, was $2.3 billion and the overall book yield was 5 percent. This exceeded the Investment Policy Committee's benchmark, which is the 48 month moving average of the two-year Constant Maturity Treasury Index yield of 3.18 percent. Read more online.

Access to criminal records now more convenient, and free
By Anne P. Williamson

Internet search engines like Google and Yahoo have trained consumers to expect fast, easy access to information. That expectation extends to government services as technology offers more and more opportunities to modernize records retrieval. Read more online.

Help yourself! Online Self Service Center saves money and trip to courthouse
By Jean Williams, Esq.

For some, the thought of representing themselves in a court case is too intimidating even to consider. Unfamiliar legal forms and complicated jargon discourage them from handling court matters without the guidance of an attorney. Read more online.

A Message from
Clerk Bock

This inaugural issue of the Clerk & Comptroller's
e-newsletter, Your Public Trustee: Safeguarding Public Records and Public Funds, combines and replaces our former publications, For the Record and Investment Quarterly.

Read more online.

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By Dr. Stephen Fuller and Arnfield Cudal

National

Reflecting the dramatic decline in new residential construction, a sharp increase in oil prices beginning in April, and the effects of the Federal Reserve Board's tighter monetary policy, the U.S. economy slowed down significantly last year following a strong first quarter. According to recent estimates, the U.S. will be entering the third consecutive quarter where the economy has grown at a rate insufficient to maintain the unemployment rate at its December 2006 average, about 4.5 percent. Altogether, Gross Domestic Product, which accounts for the total value of all goods and services produced by a nation in a given year, is currently projected to grow in 2007 at the slowest growth rate since 2002. With this forecast, unemployment is expected to rise, ending the year at 5.2 percent or higher. Read more online.

New online index to provide picture of county economy
By Arnfield Cudal

Beginning in March, citizens and government and business leaders will be able to track the local economy month-to-month on the Clerk & Comptroller's Web site. Read more online.

Clerk Sharon Bock, in mid-December, released her audit report for the Palm Beach County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), a private nonprofit entity under contract with Palm Beach County to provide tourism marketing services. As the county's elected auditor, Bock initiated the audit in response to the CVB's former Controller misappropriating over $1.5 million. Read more online.

Auditor responsibility dates back 169 years

The Clerk's role as county auditor goes back to the Florida Constitution of 1838, which provides for the protection of public funds through the creation of an independent, elected chief financial officer in each county who would serve as the county's accountant, treasurer, and auditor. In Palm Beach County, this official is the Clerk & Comptroller, a "watchdog" of county funds who is directly responsible to the citizens. Read more online.

Guide shows how your tax dollars are spent

The Clerk & Comptroller's newest publication, Checks & Balances: Your Guide to County Finances is coming your way in April, 2007. Intended for the non-financial reader, the brief guide covers important topics like your property tax bill, how Palm Beach County government funds are managed and spent, and some fun facts, like how many golf rounds were played last year and how many miles of roadways were maintained by the county! Read more online.

Public trustee role is foundation of Clerk's duties

Since its origin in 1909, the office of the Clerk & Comptroller, Palm Beach County has evolved from a small downtown office to an organization with 800 employees in seven locations. Read more online.

Clerk honorary chairperson at "Rising Star" event

Clerk Bock served as honorary chairperson at Junior Achievement's fifth Annual "Watch a Rising Star" event on January 26 at the Harriet Theater at City Place in downtown West Palm Beach. This festival of local student musicians, artists and performers was presented by Regions Bank and featured fine wines, international foods and silent and live auctions. Read more online.