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Dubuque County recorder asks supervisors to restore deputy post to clear 7‑week backlog
Summary
Recorder Anne Sweeney told supervisors the office faces a seven‑week backlog indexing recorded documents and requested restoring one deputy recorder FTE plus reclassification and pay adjustments; she estimated the staffing plan would cost about $81,244 in the coming year, offset in part by higher recording revenue.
Anne Sweeney, introduced to the board as the county recorder, outlined workload growth and operational strain in her office and requested staffing changes to address a backlog of recorded documents.
She said recorded documents—particularly real‑estate and transfer instruments—have risen about 10% from recent fiscal years and that the office now faces a seven‑week backlog for full indexing and key verification (about 1,900 documents). "Right now, we're at 1,900 documents," Anne said, and she described impacts on assessors, lenders and property owners who wait for transfers to appear in Beacon and Iowa land records.
Anne described current staffing as five FTEs with one deputy recorder position removed from the budget after the previous deputy was appointed recorder in February 2023. She asked the supervisors to restore that deputy recorder position (1 FTE at 65% of the recorder’s salary), consider reclassifying an administrative clerk to an administrative assistant, and increase the deputy recorder’s stipend to 85% of the recorder’s salary to retain institutional knowledge. "We're requesting an increase of 1 FTE to add back that deputy recorder," she said.
Working with budget staff, Anne estimated the net operating impact of the proposed staffing and wage changes at about $81,244 assuming a 2.6% wage increase and projected benefit costs; she also said earlier overtime in the current budget could be reallocated if the positions are approved. Anne noted the recorder’s office recently completed a state audit with no deficiencies and projected additional recording revenue this fiscal year that could offset some costs—the high‑end projection she provided was about $92,000, with a cautious midpoint estimate nearer $46,000.
Supervisors asked for clarification on whether new revenue projections had been incorporated into packet worksheets; Anne said the packet did not reflect the latest quarterly projection and that staff would continue to report quarterly figures.
The presentation concluded with a request to include the staffing changes in the upcoming budget and a pledge to return follow‑up details to supervisors as requested.
