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Register of Deeds proposes limitation-of-service ordinance; committee amends exception for county work
Summary
Register of Deeds Julie Gleason presented two ordinances including one that would limit services the office provides to the public; the committee added an exception allowing the office to perform searches for the benefit of Ashland County without violating the ordinance.
Julie Gleason, Ashland County Register of Deeds, presented an ordinance to limit services her office provides for private requests and said the language’s use of "shall not" could prevent the county from performing in-house work when doing so would benefit the county.
Gleason said the draft ordinance grew from Act 235 (judicial-officer shielding) and related record-access concerns. “I'm Julie Gleason, the register of deeds, and I'm proposing these 2 ordinances,” she told the committee.
Committee members asked for an explicit exception to ensure the register of deeds could still conduct searches or provide documents for county business. One committee member proposed adding the phrase "or for the benefit of Ashland County" to the clause that began "except those required by virtue of his or her office." The committee agreed to add that exception and voted to approve the amendment.
Why it matters: the ordinance would limit who can ask the register’s office to perform title or easement searches and how those records are released. Committee members said a narrowly drawn exception would preserve the county’s ability to act while keeping the broader public restriction in place.
Next steps: members asked staff to incorporate the amended language into the ordinance before the county board meeting and return the revised text for final review. Gleason said some ordinance sections could be amended later if needed to allow more in-house work when the county stands to benefit.
