Register of Deeds gives update on five‑year imaging project; county to sign MOU covering invoice detail

Anne, the county Register of Deeds, updated the commission Nov. 4 on a multi‑year US Imaging project to digitize county records and microfilm. The project began in 2020 and has progressed in phases; staff described challenges matching vendor images to the county’s indexing and explained why additional work and an accompanying invoice were needed.

Register of Deeds staff said the vendor, US Imaging West, agreed to absorb a supplemental upload fee in recognition of earlier transfer gaps, but the county still needs to accept an MOU and pay an outstanding invoice for bulk upload work that will allow the remainder of the project to move forward. The register said funds for the project are held in the county’s government‑fee/moderization fund (reported balance cited at about $177,000 in the meeting) and that the county budgeted for the project over several years.

Staff described how the project has already produced drives of scanned images the office can use, and that once complete the images will be searchable in the county’s software by book and page or envelope number. The Register said she does not intend to make the full document images available online at this time but said the software vendor offers optional online products for counties that publish documents and automated alert services for recorded instruments.

Why it matters: Digitizing land records and indexes can speed public access within the recorder’s office and support surveyors, title searchers and legal users. The project has required coordination between the vendor, the county’s software provider and Register of Deeds staff to resolve indexing and upload issues.

What’s next: The register requested the commission’s acknowledgement of the project status and the signed MOU to proceed with the next upload steps; staff reported the modernization fund balance is sufficient to cover the approved work.