Chase County register of deeds asks commissioners to fund full‑time deputy and absorb rising Laredo fee

Kathy Swift, Chase County’s Register of Deeds, appeared before the commission on June 15 to present several budget scenarios and staffing proposals as she plans for eventual departure from office. Swift told commissioners she is not running again and wants a full‑time deputy brought on while she remains in office so the successor can be trained in the office’s specialized work.

She presented four budget versions that model combinations of a full‑time deputy vs. part‑time help and whether a $4,000 Bastion (vendor) subscription would be absorbed into her office tech fund. Swift said her main priority is to "get a full‑time person in to get them trained before next election" to ensure continuity and to avoid recording errors that can ripple into tax‑roll problems.

Swift also told the board that her Laredo subscription fee is increasing by about 15% and staff plan to pass at least part of that increase on to subscribers beginning Sept. 1. "My Laredo subscription fee for this year is going up 15% ... so then we're going in redoing my schedule D with Fidler for that 15% increase," she said.

Why it matters: the deeds office performs specialized tasks that influence property records and tax statements countywide. Swift emphasized the difficulty of training new hires without prior experience and urged commissioners to consider funding a full‑time deputy and to review pay scales across courthouse positions to retain qualified staff.

Commissioners asked about timing, hiring windows and how other county offices coordinate training; Swift invited commissioners to spend a day in the office to better understand workflow. No formal budget action was taken at the meeting; commissioners will consider Swift’s proposals during upcoming budget sessions.