The Bartholomew County Clerk’s Office has temporarily stopped accepting marriage license applications due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 across the state.
The clerk’s office stopped accepting the applications on March 24 after the approval of three local judges, who did not think marriage licenses were an essential function of the court during a pandemic, said Bartholomew County Clerk Jay Phelps. County officials did honor some marriage application appointments that had already been scheduled before the decision, Phelps said. County officials plan to revisit the decision on Monday.
“We’ve put those on hold for the time being. It’s one of those things, people come in and they’re sitting across from one of our workers and we’re asking them questions,” Phelps said. “…There’s a process (to apply). You can start it online, but unfortunately, we have to finish it in person. So that’s the problem. You have to have face-to-face interaction.”
On March 16, the clerk’s office decided to only accept marriage license applications via appointment in an effort to reduce the number of people applying during the pandemic, Phelps said. However, the volume of people seeking applications did not slow down, including several instances in which applicants told staff that they "thought this whole (pandemic) was a joke and they’re like, ‘Oh, let’s try to get married during this crazy time,’" Phelps said.
From roughly March 1 to 24, 34 people applied for marriage licenses in person at the Bartholomew County Clerk’s Office, which is roughly at the same pace as March of last year, according to county figures.
"People were making comments, ‘Well, hey, this is a memorable time, let’s get married’ and kind of mocking this situation, and that really rubbed the staff the wrong way and made us feel really uncomfortable," Phelps said. "We continue to see the cases rising and then we have people over here acting like it’s not a big deal. It really just made the staff uneasy. When we continued to see the high volume (of applicants), we went to the judges."
Bartholomew County Superior Court I Judge James Worton, Bartholomew County Superior Court II Judge Kathleen “Kitty” Tighe Coriden and Bartholomew County Circuit Court Judge Kelly Benjamin advised in a meeting on March 23 that accepting marriage license applications was not an essential function of the clerk’s office, Phelps said.
County officials, however, are attempting to set up a virtual marriage license application process through Zoom and capture electronic signatures, but nothing has been finalized at this point, Phelps said.
“We’re looking at ways to still be able to do them because it’s a public service,” Phelps said. “…I feel bad for people who planned this a year in advance and tried to get facilities and all that.”
Completed marriage license applications that have already been received are still being processed, Phelps said.
However, people seeking to make child support payments or criminal and judgment restitution payments should use the drop box located inside the courthouse doors on Third Street, according to the Bartholomew County Clerk’s Office.
Criminal payments for fines and fees can be made online at mycase.in.gov, and traffic ticket payments can be made at public.courts.in.gov.
“We’re just wanting to be safe for everyone involved, including the people who come in, because the virus is spreading like wildfire,” Phelps said.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”To learn more” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
For more information, visit https://www.bartholomew.in.gov/clerk.html
[sc:pullout-text-end]
