Cumberland County board approves registered deeds office computer-fee change

The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners voted April 7 to approve an administrative increase to the registered deeds office computer fee after the county was notified of a change by its vendor.

County staff brought the item forward after Al Bender Courthouse Computer Systems told the registered deeds office of an immediate change to online mailing fees, according to Andre Abruijen, who presented the item to the board. Abruijen said the fee structure that had been in place since the service launched in November 2017 had charged $1 per transaction regardless of copies ordered, and that the vendor’s new structure varies the cost when a customer requests more than three copies.

The board approved the fee increase by voice/hand vote. The motion on the floor was to approve the registered deeds office fee increase; the record at the meeting shows the motion was properly seconded and the board voted in the affirmative. No roll-call tally was read during the meeting.

The county manager noted the board must approve fee increases for registered deeds office services; no additional dollar amounts beyond the vendor’s change were provided at the meeting and county staff did not provide a new fee schedule for public record during the discussion.

County staff indicated the vendor’s change took effect April 1 and that the office would implement the revised pricing in its online certificate/mailing service. Commissioners did not request further study or send the item back to staff.

Action on the fee change completes the board’s approval step; staff will implement the vendor-adjusted pricing for the online mailed-certificate service.