Accomplishments

 

At the heart of every public official is a drive to serve the people of their community.

At least that’s the way it should be and that’s the way it is with Craig. Under his leadership, the County Clerk’s Office and the Saratoga County DMV have undergone innovative transformations in the way they look, conduct business, and serve our community. Here’s a summary of some of Saratoga County Clerk Craig A. Hayner’s accomplishments:

Fiscal Responsibility:

  • Generated $7.5 million in direct revenue to the County through cost savings measures and revenue generating initiatives.
    • Cost saving measures in both the County Clerk’s Office and the Saratoga County DMV implemented under Craig’s leadership have allowed for the strategic reallocation of monies and improved office operations. These improvements have resulted in better service for the Saratoga County community and tax savings for Saratoga County residents during Craig’s tenure.
    • Revenue generating initiatives implemented during Craig’s tenure include Renew Here, a public education campaign that encourages people to renew their DMV documents at a Saratoga County Office, allowing for 12.7% of the money spent here to stay here. Craig’s emphasis on community education campaigns promoting passport services and E-Z Pass sales have also positively impacted the county’s bottom line.

Efficiency & Modernization:

  • Spearheaded Clifton Park DMV remodel. The project featured a customer-focused design including a much-needed expansion of square footage and additional customer service windows to accommodate the high volume of customers, as well as technology upgrades including energy efficiency lighting, improved security features and an electronic que system to streamline customer transactions and reduce wait times.
  • Reorganized the DMV structure to create a dedicated Dealer Unit. This team processes paperwork from auto dealers and companies statewide with an uninterrupted workflow that expedites service to customers.
  • Implemented an online appointment scheduling system for DMV appointments that streamlines the customer experience, reduces customer time spent in the office, and improves office efficiency. The office has received a great deal of positive feedback regarding this system.
  • Implemented electronic filing (e-filing) for court and electronic recording (e-recording) for real estate records, which improves efficiency for both clients and employees by reducing the time spent on the review and processing of documents and increases productivity.
  • Advanced a records modernization project to include more than 20 million digitized records available for the public to search for free from the comfort of their own homes or businesses or in the County Clerk’s office.

Community Stewardship:

  • Introduced a free automated online fraud alert service to help Saratoga County property owners and residents track possible fraudulent activity with records filed or recorded with the Clerk’s Office.
  • Helped lead a 50% increase in Saratoga County registered organ donors through an annual partnership with Donate Life NY to promote organ donorship during April each year.
  • Provided free REAL ID forums to help community members understand and navigate the federal REAL ID Act requirements for upgrading their identification documents at the DMV.
  • Directed a research effort that retuned a lost Purple Heart Medal to a local family when a local citizen found the medal and brought it to the Clerk’s Office in 2019. The medal was returned to the family 74 years after the soldier lost his life in WWII.
  • Committed to the historical preservation of documents and the education of Saratoga County history through restoration projects, educational social media posts, and free presentations for the community.
  • Committed to providing a variety of FREE services for the public including DD-214 filing for veterans, F.A.V.O.R. merchant discount program membership for veterans, notary services, online and in-person search services, and an assortment of informational publications.
  • Spearheaded the annual countywide Yellow Ribbon Day donation drive since 2017 to benefit Capital Region Blue Star Mothers, which sends care packages to deployed troops who are originally from our community.

COVID-19 Pandemic Leadership:

  • Continued to safely provide services through the County Clerk’s Office and Saratoga County DMV during the statewide shutdown, generating revenue for the county and helping our customers conduct necessary business. While the state mandated all DMVs to close to in person customers during the COVID-19 statewide shutdown, Craig and the DMV team refocused services to safely allow certain transactions by mail and contactless drop-off. In the County Clerk’s Office, Craig and the team safely provided contactless drop off and socially distanced appointment-based services to ensure the court system and real estate transactions could move forward in Saratoga County during the COVID-19 statewide shutdown. These measures helped to ensure the Clerk’s Office and Saratoga County DMV continued to provide a revenue stream for the County during the pandemic shutdown while ensuring customers could conduct their necessary business.
  • Implemented safety protocols for in-person service for the public as soon as it was safe to do so, allowing the Saratoga County DMV and County Clerk’s Office to safely provide their full-range of services to customers.