Candidate introduces campaign; register of deeds urges bill to curb notary fraud

During the public-comment period at the Feb. 17 Tonganoxie City Council meeting, two residents addressed the council.

David Todd introduced himself as a local resident at 23209 Dempsey Road and said he is running for Leavenworth County commissioner for the 5th District, noting the incumbent is not seeking reelection. He invited residents to a March 8 meet-and-greet at the public library from 2 to 4 p.m.

Terry Lewis Todd, who identified herself as the register of deeds, said she recently testified on HB 2696, a bill she introduced intended to reduce notary fraud. She explained the bill would add a verification step to ensure that a notary recorded on a document matches the Secretary of State's certified notary listing. She also described a voluntary option she described as a "self-imposed biometric lien," where a property owner could attach a photo to a deed; the photo would be used to slow or deter attempts at title theft and would trigger a freeze on conveyance or a mortgage being added, with a prominent notice on the appraiser's website: "property locked for conveyance, contact register of deeds."

Terry Lewis Todd cited a trade association statistic in saying the American Land Title Association reports that about one-quarter of reported title fraud cases involve notary fraud. She left contact information (ttodd@leavenworthcounty.gov) and encouraged residents to reach out if they had questions about the proposal.

The council did not take action on HB 2696 during the meeting; the register of deeds presented the bill and informational material for the council's awareness.