Grafton County Registry of Deeds
Kelley J. Monahan Register
Summary FYI 2013 to Executive Committee
June 10, 2013
The past year has been a very productive one for the office of the Grafton County Registry of Deeds. After 6 months of programming and training we went live on August 1, 2012 with our new recording software. The staff was very patient with the public and professionals that frequent the registry and were extraordinarily positive about the challenges that we faced. Now after another 6 months of programing and training we are live with two different options for searching and about to go live with the third tier. Enclosed is a letter that explains the changes, this letter was sent out on Thursday June 6, 2013. I neglected to point out in this letter that the municipalities will continue to have account access without charge. Notice will be going up on the website this week, and a press release is being sent out. On May 7, 2013 the Grafton County Board of Commissioners approved this rate change and a two year contract renewal with Fidlar Technologies.
In my opinion, there are many benefits to working with Fidlar. The most valuable being the fact that they are the only land records software company that states in their contract that the data base belongs solely to the county. I have a few copies of the Thompson Reuters/NACO Land Records Vendor Survey that was completed last fall. Fidlar comes out very favorably in the report. In FY-13 contract with Fidlar we moved from a flat fee to a charge per document recorded. Unable to predict the exact number that we would receive, I projected high to be safe. We will most likely come in right in the middle of the range. The cost of the software line is coming down, a new revenue stream has been added, security is cutting edge, we are partners with top innovators and we are on very solid footing for the future. This office represents a foundation of our economy and we are fully prepared for our economy in Graton County to thrive.
Enclosed you will also find a letter from Stephan Hamilton Director of the Property Appraisal Division of the New Hampshire Department of Revenue. As some of you may remember, the Mosaic Parcel Map Project was an issue that I ran for office on for my first term. I was very uneasy with the contract coming out of UNH that was approved before I took office. I am proud to say that I objected to this project as proposed and worked to ensure that the proper security measures and authority were in place. I am thrilled to report that our DRA has recently received first in the nation status for a state wide project, and was also recently awarded a “Bright Ideas Award” from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
The next enclosure is an overview of the revenue and surcharge totals for FY 2009- FY 2013, and my recommendation for the surcharge account for FY-14. Some of you will remember that last year we spent $37,500 to replace the staff desk tops, recycling the old to the public viewing room and thus saving on the leased equipment that was in use there. We are always concerned about an unexpected event with our equipment. This could have very serious implications for the business of real estate transfer. The plan printer alone would cost approximately $20,000 to replace and it is 5 years old. If we lost a vital component to our operation, it would require a full vote of the delegation in an emergency meeting to release surcharge funds. I recommend that $10,000 be drawn from the Bank of New Hampshire Account and added to our Certificate of Deposit. Treasurer Parker is the only signature on this account. We are looking at options since this CD matures the first week of July. I feel that the need to keep a healthy balance liquid in the event of an emergency is the prudent thing to do.
In my monthly report to the Board of Commissioner tomorrow, I will report that our 11 month revenue will total $898,228.50, the revenue goal being $950,000.00. I expect June will bring close to $90,000.00 putting us approximately $40,000.00 over for the year.
I have listed my recommendations to the surcharge budget and included RSA 478:17j Register of Deeds Equipment Account. These recommendations will produce the lowest budget from this office in at last 6 years and will leave us at the end of FY-14 with a surcharge balance of nearly $125,000.00. The cap for this account is $500.000.00.
The final enclosure is a very detailed report on the storage situation with the historic records. I recommend tabling this discussion until after the jail demolition this summer and repointing of building late summer and fall. At that time, I would welcome any forum to come to some consensus on a solution.
I will be happy to answer any questions as we work through the revenue and expense lines.
Respectfully submitted,
Kelley J. Monahan
Register of Deeds
Grafton County New Hampshire
Kelley J. Monahan Register
Summary FYI 2013 to Executive Committee
June 10, 2013
The past year has been a very productive one for the office of the Grafton County Registry of Deeds. After 6 months of programming and training we went live on August 1, 2012 with our new recording software. The staff was very patient with the public and professionals that frequent the registry and were extraordinarily positive about the challenges that we faced. Now after another 6 months of programing and training we are live with two different options for searching and about to go live with the third tier. Enclosed is a letter that explains the changes, this letter was sent out on Thursday June 6, 2013. I neglected to point out in this letter that the municipalities will continue to have account access without charge. Notice will be going up on the website this week, and a press release is being sent out. On May 7, 2013 the Grafton County Board of Commissioners approved this rate change and a two year contract renewal with Fidlar Technologies.
In my opinion, there are many benefits to working with Fidlar. The most valuable being the fact that they are the only land records software company that states in their contract that the data base belongs solely to the county. I have a few copies of the Thompson Reuters/NACO Land Records Vendor Survey that was completed last fall. Fidlar comes out very favorably in the report. In FY-13 contract with Fidlar we moved from a flat fee to a charge per document recorded. Unable to predict the exact number that we would receive, I projected high to be safe. We will most likely come in right in the middle of the range. The cost of the software line is coming down, a new revenue stream has been added, security is cutting edge, we are partners with top innovators and we are on very solid footing for the future. This office represents a foundation of our economy and we are fully prepared for our economy in Graton County to thrive.
Enclosed you will also find a letter from Stephan Hamilton Director of the Property Appraisal Division of the New Hampshire Department of Revenue. As some of you may remember, the Mosaic Parcel Map Project was an issue that I ran for office on for my first term. I was very uneasy with the contract coming out of UNH that was approved before I took office. I am proud to say that I objected to this project as proposed and worked to ensure that the proper security measures and authority were in place. I am thrilled to report that our DRA has recently received first in the nation status for a state wide project, and was also recently awarded a “Bright Ideas Award” from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
The next enclosure is an overview of the revenue and surcharge totals for FY 2009- FY 2013, and my recommendation for the surcharge account for FY-14. Some of you will remember that last year we spent $37,500 to replace the staff desk tops, recycling the old to the public viewing room and thus saving on the leased equipment that was in use there. We are always concerned about an unexpected event with our equipment. This could have very serious implications for the business of real estate transfer. The plan printer alone would cost approximately $20,000 to replace and it is 5 years old. If we lost a vital component to our operation, it would require a full vote of the delegation in an emergency meeting to release surcharge funds. I recommend that $10,000 be drawn from the Bank of New Hampshire Account and added to our Certificate of Deposit. Treasurer Parker is the only signature on this account. We are looking at options since this CD matures the first week of July. I feel that the need to keep a healthy balance liquid in the event of an emergency is the prudent thing to do.
In my monthly report to the Board of Commissioner tomorrow, I will report that our 11 month revenue will total $898,228.50, the revenue goal being $950,000.00. I expect June will bring close to $90,000.00 putting us approximately $40,000.00 over for the year.
I have listed my recommendations to the surcharge budget and included RSA 478:17j Register of Deeds Equipment Account. These recommendations will produce the lowest budget from this office in at last 6 years and will leave us at the end of FY-14 with a surcharge balance of nearly $125,000.00. The cap for this account is $500.000.00.
The final enclosure is a very detailed report on the storage situation with the historic records. I recommend tabling this discussion until after the jail demolition this summer and repointing of building late summer and fall. At that time, I would welcome any forum to come to some consensus on a solution.
I will be happy to answer any questions as we work through the revenue and expense lines.
Respectfully submitted,
Kelley J. Monahan
Register of Deeds
Grafton County New Hampshire
