Registry of Deeds fees, DA staffing choices and Probate staffing adjustments highlighted in department presentations

Several department heads presented FY27 lines and answered committee questions.

Registry of Deeds: Registrar Lynn Moore said recent fee-structure changes should offset a drop in recordings. She reported the Real Estate Transfer tax had shifted county receipts from 10% to 8.2% under recent statute changes and that LD2421 had been tabled in committee. Moore said the office increased fees (for example, a previous $19 fee plus $3 surcharge is now a $40 flat rate) and expects an 11.89% revenue rise under the new structure.

District Attorney: District Attorney Natasha Irving told the BAC her office will not pursue a VOCA grant this year; the county portion of that grant had been less than $7,000 and applying required significant staff time with uncertain payoff. Irving proposed modest salary adjustments for a Victim Witness Advocate and requested $6,000 per year over five years to start a replacement vehicle reserve for a Domestic Violence Investigator.

Probate: Judge David Paris and Deputy Register Hannah Dickinson said Probate expenses are down 0.37% after rebalancing staff hours from a 40-hour and a 29.5-hour clerk to two 30-hour clerks, improving coverage and saving money; some professional-service costs remain unpredictable because the office must provide counsel in indigent matters.

Committee reaction: BAC members asked for conservative revenue estimates for Deeds given current real-estate volatility; Irving and Paris explained statutory constraints on where some costs and revenues originate and noted training and inter-county coordination needs for prosecutions and probate services.

Next steps: department heads will provide any requested follow-up detail and confirm revenue assumptions for the ClearGov draft.