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Board approves $16,998 ARCA upload and $897 annual fee to put historical land indexes online
Summary
The recorder asked the board to fund a one-time $16,998 upload of historical index books to an online search platform and an $897 annual maintenance fee; supervisors agreed to use the record-management fund for the one-time charge and approved the recurring maintenance allocation.
The Carroll County Board voted to pay to put historical land-record index books online and to pay for ongoing maintenance.
Ashton of the recorder’s office presented a proposal to publish index books to the county website via ARCA Search so members of the public can locate land-record index pages online. She said the quote included a one‑time upload fee (quoted at $16,998) and an annual maintenance fee of $897. "We do have that record management fund," Ashton said, recommending using that fund for the one-time upload and budgeting the recurring maintenance in the general fund going forward.
Supervisors discussed the scope (index books only versus full-image uploads), user convenience, and whether the record-management fund should be preserved for future projects. "If we use that money, that money doesn't keep building," one supervisor said, and the board considered the trade-off before moving and approving the project and the maintenance allocation.
Why it matters: Making index books searchable online can reduce trips to the courthouse and speed land-record research for banks, title companies and residents. The board chose to proceed while preserving oversight of the record-management fund.
Next steps: Staff will complete the one-time upload and add an $897 annual maintenance line to the budget. The recorder will inform the public when the searchable index becomes available.
