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County seeks patience while automating public records |
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Local Content -
Local News
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Written by Matthew Steffy
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Friday, 27 November 2009 |
BROOKVILLE — Several contractors and notaries are having difficulty accessing the Jefferson County public records, which is causing a delay for natural gas contractors and increased expenses in deeds searches.
The complaints were voiced during a meeting of the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners Tuesday.
According to Shanelle Hawk of Falcon Research and Settlement Inc., no public record books can currently be accessed.
The information in the books is being transferred to an electronic, online database, but not all of the information has been transferred.
Hawk said the online search is expensive, costing more than $1 per minute for searches that can take several hours.
"Falcon is located in 15 counties," Hawk said. "None of them are as Jefferson right now. Last month, we spent over $2,000 in Internet charges for this information, and I think it should be available at the courthouse."
The issue is that the index books were moved to the Enterprise Center during the courthouse rehabilitation project. They were not available to the public there, and the online database was incomplete.
The problem has also affected the local natural gas industry.
John Enseki, who contracts for EXCO Resources, said he is unable to take leases for gas or oil wells, because the deeds cannot be traced through the county records to verify ownership and mineral rights.
"EXCO has spent millions and millions of dollars in the area," he said. "We plan to spend many more millions, but right now, we can't do what we need to do. There's a book index, but we can't use that because it's being put on to the computer. We can't use the computers because not all the records are there. So we can't use anything right now."
Commission Chairman Paul Corbin said the county was aware of the problem, but the department of county records had a difficult transfer. He said he has been in contact with Diane Maihle Kiehl, county register & recorder, and the problem should be only temporary.
Enseki said the problem has been occurring since July, and he feels the index books should be available regardless of where they are housed.
"I don't know why there is a problem," he said. "These are all public records, and they should be open to the public. We can't wait six months for you to correct this. We can't wait six weeks, in fact, I was hoping it would be done before lunch."
County Solicitor Jim Dennison said he expects the entire system to be online within the week.
Of most concern was a 20-year gap in the online records, spanning from 1973 through 1993, which he said should be corrected soon.
Again, Enseki emphasized how important the public records are to his business, saying, "We have not been able to access them since July. That's not a short time. The books are right on the other side of that door, and all we hear is that we can't see them."
"I'm self-employed. She (Kiehl) is preventing me from making a living, because when I don't work, I don't get paid. Right now, I'm dead in the water on 10 parcels because I can't access the public records."
Corbin asked for patience, and said the system should be an improvement when completed.
"It's my impression that this is the last week so we're asking you to be somewhat patient," he said. "We're trying to make this more efficient and less costly for the county, and to modernize that office and bring it in to the 21st century.
"We'll try to rectify the situation as best as possible at the lowest cost to the taxpayer."
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 28 November 2009 )
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