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New register of deeds outlines office overhaul, fee changes and free property-fraud alert
Summary
Scott Rokosz, the county's new Register of Deeds, described a near-total staff turnover, ongoing digitizing work, proposed changes to remote-copy fees to recoup software costs (estimating roughly $7,000 per month) and promoted the county's free property-fraud alert service.
Scott Rokosz, the newly elected Register of Deeds, told the Grand Traverse County board that his office has experienced near-complete staff turnover since he took office and that the department is rebuilding institutional knowledge as it continues a multi-year digitizing effort.
Rokosz emphasized the register's role in securing property records and said the office is adopting a fee structure for remote copies via the county's FIDLAR document system, invoking a statutory option to charge $1 per copy for external downloads. "We are changing the fee structure to today, and we're going to fall more in line with what most other counties in the state of Michigan are doing," Rokosz said, adding a low-end estimate that expanding copy charges could bring about "$7,000 a month" in additional revenue.
Rokosz described operational changes to reduce liability, expand public outreach and make better use of existing tech. He said the office plans a modest first-floor remodel to gain storage space for archival records and to improve staff safety. Rokosz also highlighted a free property-fraud-alert service the county offers through propertyfraudalert.com and asked supervisors to help distribute flyers through township clerks.
Commissioners questioned retention and pay. Rokosz said the register's staff are unionized and that pay remains a central retention challenge; he urged consideration of nonwage benefits and creative retention tools (for example, childcare support) in addition to wages. Rokosz described conservative cost savings already realized by cutting unused phone lines and equipment and said modernization and digitizing are ongoing priorities.
Rokosz answered questions about FIDLAR and AI: the office is not currently relying on AI for indexing and is cautious about automated document processing that lacks human checks. He told commissioners the office will continue outreach and ask the county to include a letter of support in a future packet if the board wishes to signal political support for other agenda items discussed that morning.
Next steps: commissioners encouraged Rokosz to present retention and recruitment ideas to the county's ad hoc retention committee and to return with additional data on proposed fee changes and anticipated revenue.
