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County registry officials urge study to centralize oversight of registries of deeds
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Summary
Witnesses told the Joint Committee on State Administration that a study to examine placing registries of deeds under the Secretary of the Commonwealth could improve technology, reporting, and accountability; Norfolk County register cited court rulings and alleged misappropriation by county officials in urging the study.
The Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight heard testimony Oct. 29 on S.3971, a bill directing a study of the feasibility of placing county registries of deeds under the oversight of the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
John Buckley, registrar in Plymouth County, said Massachusetts currently has 21 registry districts, eight of which remain as county registry districts, and described technological and staffing differences among districts. "Technology, for us is critical," Buckley said, arguing that combining oversight under one entity would allow for "common interfaces and common reporting systems" and reduce public confusion.
William O'Donnell, Norfolk County register of deeds, urged the committee to support the bill and provided written materials including newspaper articles and letters from the Real Estate Bar Association of Massachusetts. O'Donnell said the bill is needed because of what he described as "unlawful interference in registry operations" and cited court rulings and a separate Superior Court finding of misuse of county funds. "It is time for the overseer or the watchdog of Norfolk County government, the state legislature, to step in by passing House Bill 3,971," he said.
O'Donnell told the committee the seven-member Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court "unanimously affirmed lower court rulings that county director John J. Cronin and the three Norfolk County commissioners unlawfully interfered in registry operations," and cited a Norfolk Superior Court decision dated June 28, 2024, and related final-judgment dates noted in his submitted materials. He also said Norfolk County spent "upwards of a half a million dollars" on legal bills defending those actions.
Representative Richard Gallagher, who sponsored the legislation, thanked the witnesses and said the proposal could preserve vital county services while restructuring oversight. No formal committee action or vote on the bill occurred during the hearing.
Committee members accepted the written testimony submitted by the witnesses and pressed for the committee to consider a favorable report so the matter can advance for further review.
