County clerk reports major scanning progress, outlines small budget adjustments for records access

The County clerk reported substantial progress digitizing county records, saying land records and probates are scanned ‘‘as far back as 1971’’ and that earlier material dating to the early 1900s has been processed and is being quality‑checked for public release. "We have pretty much everything online," the County clerk said, adding that staff discovered a file glitch that caused some page omissions which has since been corrected.

The clerk described scanning and archiving work coordinated with co‑file/SBITA services and explained the billing split between scanning and archiving on vendor invoices. She said some scanning costs are covered by court fees but that the office still budgets for SBITA services. The clerk outlined public access: residents can view records online for free, but printing or downloading beyond a small free threshold carries fees (first 10 pages charged at $1 and a lower per‑page fee thereafter).

On staffing and operations, the clerk confirmed workspace and equipment are in place for a new hire, said most equipment and supplies are adequate and that postage budgeting was adjusted to $1,800 given anticipated rate increases. The clerk said once final checks are complete the scanned records will be released for public access via the county website.

Commissioners asked for confirmation on what is covered by court fees versus general budget lines and requested follow‑up details on projected costs and release timing.