The Norfolk County Commission voted April 9 to approve a third supplemental funding and transfer request totaling $451,875, including a $128,000 appropriation placed into a new settlement reserve to pay unpaid Registry of Deeds invoices identified in a recent state court judgment.

John Kumar, county director, told commissioners the total supplemental and transfer request equals $451,875 and includes a proposed $55,000 transfer for the county schools. He recommended setting aside $128,000 from county surplus funds into a dedicated “settlement reserve” after counsel’s guidance and a December 2, 2024, Supreme Judicial Court ruling relating to transfer requests made in fiscal year 2023.

Kumar described the reserve’s intended use in detail: $21,000 for miscellaneous contractual services, $75,000 for legal fees, and $32,000 for miscellaneous professional and technical services. The motion approved by the commission requires the Registry of Deeds to use the funds only to pay unpaid bills from the FY2023 period and to provide detailed invoices to the county treasurer by Aug. 29, 2025.

Kumar also reviewed other supplemental items in the package, including a proposed $28,008.75 purchase for a central high-density filing system to outfit a centralized storage facility, $5,000 for miscellaneous contractual services in the commissioners’ office, and $10,000 for new office furniture for new staff. He recapped an estimated shortfall for health insurance liabilities, noting a near-balance figure he had previously cited of roughly $225,000; Kumar said the exact shortfall will be known after the fiscal year closes and the treasurer reports final figures.

The package also incorporated a $55,000 transfer requested by the schools. Kumar described the schools’ offsets and line-item shifts but said the full supplemental package remains contingent on the commissioners’ approval at the advisory-board presentation scheduled for April 16.

A commissioner made a motion to approve the proposed third supplemental funding and transfer request with the settlement-reserve condition and set invoice deadlines; the motion was seconded. The commission voted in favor of the motion. The meeting record did not include a roll-call vote or a named mover/second for the public transcript.

The action will permit the Registry of Deeds to pay specified FY2023 invoices from the settlement-reserve account, provided the registry submits itemized invoices by Aug. 29, 2025.