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Hocking County recorder seeks $33,000 to start electronic-recording work required by House Bill 94
Summary
County Recorder Teresa Salazar told commissioners that House Bill 94 requires electronic recording of many instruments by June 30, 2026; she requested an immediate 25% down payment ($33,000) to start vendor work and the board approved the appropriation and contractor access pending sheriff approval.
Teresa Salazar, Hocking County recorder, told the Board of Commissioners on Jan. 23 that Ohio House Bill 94 requires counties to provide an electronic method for recording and accessing specified instruments on the county recorder’s website by June 30, 2026.
Salazar said the county’s existing vendor (Fidlar, the recorder’s software provider) quoted $97,837.29 in July 2023 and provided a revised quote on Jan. 8, 2025 that reached approximately $130,018.62. She said the Ohio state treasurer has set aside funds for county reimbursements and that the treasurer’s office is operating a portal that will accept proof of payment for partial reimbursement on a first-come, first-served basis.
“To move forward with the project, we are required to have 25% due upon signing the professional service agreement, which is $32,504.65,” Salazar said. She asked the board for immediate approval of that down payment from the recorder’s contract services account, explaining she plans to submit proof of payment to the treasurer’s portal and then request reimbursement in phases so the county would be made whole if the reimbursement is approved.
Commissioners moved and approved an additional appropriation of $33,000 from the general fund to the recorder’s contract services account. The board also approved, with sheriff’s office sign-off pending, 24-hour courthouse access for vendor staff to perform the imaging work; Salazar said the vendor crew is bonded and insured and that the county can require background checks and a personnel list.
Salazar said she has worked with the treasurer’s finance director and with a liaison from other counties to estimate image counts and reimbursement amounts. She also told commissioners that a recently adopted $5 restoration fee will be routed into a new line item in the recorder’s budget and used only for statutorily allowed expenditures.
Why it matters: compliance with HB 94 is a statutory deadline and the work requires upfront vendor payments. The recorder’s request was limited to the initial 25% payment rather than the full contract price; Salazar said the phased reimbursement process under the state portal reduces immediate county exposure but does not guarantee full reimbursement.
The board approved the appropriation and access permission and asked Salazar to return with documentation as payments are processed.
