Grafton County Registry of Deeds
Kelley J. Monahan Register
FY23 Budget Presentation Overview
March 31, 2022
To: The Grafton County Board of Commissioners and County Administrator Libby,
The Grafton County Registry of Deeds survived and thrived through the pandemic based on the preparations that were put in place prior to this emergency being declared.
- Tapestry – The search platform which is designed for the Title Industry kept the enormous re-financing activity which our Country experienced moving and aided the citizen in allowing access to home equity which helped keep many afloat.
- Laredo- The search platform which is designed for the professional user, and municipal use. This helped keep the work of the attorneys, real estate professionals and town governments flowing.
- Laredo Connect – This is a new program that we set into motion in the fall. It allows all of our thousands of account holders to view and pay on their accounts. This program greatly reduces phone calls and emails related to billing questions. It also allows for credit card payments, where Fidlar Technologies assumes the middle man position on risk, cost and processing.
- Ava – The search platform that is a free and simple search designed for the public. Copies can be printed at the user’s computer for a simple fee of $1.05. One dollar to Grafton County, .05 to Fidlar Technologies.
- E-recording – The ability for documents to be submitted for recording via the internet by funneling the documents from the submitter through a vetted and approved vendor. This allows for transactions which originate from outside of New Hampshire to be recorded quickly and by-passes the traditional paper recording where USPS, Fed Ex, or UPS or documents which have come to the counter being “walked in.”
The downside to this platform is that it takes longer to record and index these documents in the Registry, and we are seeing increasing issues with fraud and insuffient funds. Luckily the e-recording companies assume these losses. However, tracking down bad payments and the accounting issues that accompany them requires a great deal of staff time which robs us of the critical function of indexing.
- Telephone support- My team was on-site throughout the pandemic. We have two phone lines and they are in use much of the time. Our phone is answered on the first or second ring by a friendly and knowledgeable member of my team. We provide a great deal of assistance to the public who either lacks access to the internet or needs assistance in navigating a complicated process. Death certificates must be recorded for an estate to be settled. People need to record the original and it is returned two weeks after being recorded, indexed, proofed and verified. We are here as public servants.
- Remote recording and indexing –This was not available to us as an option in Grafton County due to lack of internet at the homes of my team. .
We had the equipment, Fidlar Technologies provided the technology and support.
I cannot stress enough how important the Grafton County Broadband project is for the future operations of this office.
- Monarch- A new program that I set in motion in January which provides the municipal governments with a portal for the town transfer documents which reflect change in ownership for the purposes of taxation. This automation reduces paper use, postage, and provides a constant stream of documents rather than a month hard copy bulk mailing. It also saves staff time.
- Last but far from least, is my staff. We have had a big transition with employees in recent months. We are now an energized team with great synergy and dedication. We love coming to work. My team is friendly, knowledgeable and committed.
Respectfully submitted,
Kelley Monahan
Register of Deeds