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Surrogate emphasizes outreach, digital records and constrained outreach budget
Summary
Surrogate Alex Rick Kinney described outreach efforts (estate planning, bilingual materials, adoption and senior events), a digitization project for historical records and tensions about continuing a contracted PR firm versus paying for required county business systems from dedicated trust funds.
Surrogate Alex Rick Kinney outlined the surrogate court’s recent outreach and communications work and said the office used a contracted public‑relations group to make materials more accessible to non‑legal audiences. He said the office handled thousands of probate matters and had produced bilingual materials on guardianship, adoption outreach and senior wellness efforts.
Kinney described a digitization effort that moved over 6.5 million images into microfiche and praised the county for assisting with that effort. He said outreach increased public engagement and case filings, and that the department’s trust or dedicated funds support technology upgrades but may not cover ongoing contracted outreach without a transfer or additional authorization.
Commissioners asked about the trust fund balance, conversion of temporary staff to permanent roles under a hiring freeze, and the practical cost of continued outreach (the surrogate said the PR work cost about $60,000 in recent years). The county treasurer clarified several account balances during the exchange to avoid confusion.
The board did not vote; several commissioners urged administration to explore options so outreach that benefits residents can continue without violating fund-use rules.
