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Clerk and Recorder says recording-fee change will not dramatically alter next fiscal year
Summary
The Clerk and Recorder told Lincoln County commissioners that a 2025 statutory change raised recording fees from $8 per page to $20 for the first page and $10 for each additional page, but staff do not expect a major revenue shift for the coming fiscal year. Insurance and salary items remain subject to committee decisions.
The Clerk and Recorder reviewed the office's general-fund request and told commissioners the office had carried last year’s salary and benefits numbers into the proposed 26/27 budget pending salary-committee decisions.
“The statute changed as of October. We went from $8 per page for recording to $20 for the first page and $10 for each additional page,” the Clerk and Recorder said, but added that with only a few months left in the current budget period they do not anticipate a significant immediate revenue spike.
Why it matters: Recording fees are a direct revenue source for the Clerk and Recorder’s office, and the state’s change to the fee schedule alters the per-document intake. The office will finalize projections after the current fiscal period and the salary committee’s determinations on wages and contributions.
In addition to the statutory fee change, the Clerk and Recorder briefed the commissioners on expense lines. Several salary accounts (lines 110, 140 and 148) remain subject to change pending the salary and COLA review. Supplies and printing were characterized as “pretty consistent,” with the office projecting roughly $22,000 for the supplies lines discussed at the hearing. The office also noted savings compared with the prior year’s budget in part because GIS-related charges that had been in the 1000 series are now funded differently.
Commissioners and staff discussed a roughly 6% increase in insurance costs that will affect the final budget, and staff said they will hold budgets steady until the final wage and benefit figures are available. Planning and land-review fees were described as holding steady but expected to increase when several current preliminary plats move to final subdivision approvals.
The Clerk and Recorder concluded that once wage updates are received the office will submit a finalized budget to the county; the board recessed and moved to the next department review.
The hearing proceeded to the IT department review and then to the Treasurer’s presentation later in the session.
