Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Records topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sedgwick County launches new land‑records system; commissioners raise concerns about $8.75-per‑search fee
Summary
The Register of Deeds' office launched a Fiddler Technologies land‑records system on Feb. 3 to improve search, fraud prevention and backups. Commissioners pressed county staff about user fees — $8.75 per online search or a $50 subscription — and whether the change reduces public access.
The Sedgwick County Register of Deeds on Feb. 3 launched a new records‑management platform provided by Fiddler Technologies, county officials told the Board of County Commissioners on Feb. 12. Tonya Buckingham, Register of Deeds, described features that include improved public search tools, fraud‑prevention measures and a Bastion off‑site backup to preserve records in the event of a ransomware incident.
"We launched our new records management system with Fiddler Technologies," Buckingham said, and the platform includes both subscription and pay‑as‑you‑go search options. Chief Deputy Kimberly Ziering told commissioners the county offers two public search products: Laredo (subscription) for frequent users and Tapestry (pay‑per‑search) for occasional users. Ziering said the property‑alert service now notifies residents by email, text or phone when a document is recorded in their name.
Commissioner Howe pressed county staff on the change from the previous in‑house, free search tool to the new paid model. "So if I understand correctly, every time I hit that search button, it's $8.75," he said, citing the per‑search fee. Buckingham and Ziering said residents who come into county offices can still use public terminals at no charge; county staff said subscriptions and in‑office lookups were intended to balance public access with improved security and vendor costs. Buckingham underscored security improvements, citing a county elsewhere that used Bastion to continue recording after a ransomware attack.
Supporters said the county compared fees across Kansas and selected one of the lowest vendor prices in the state. Commissioners and staff acknowledged the tradeoff: stronger security and backup measures at the expense of moving from a free public web search to a vendor model with per‑search convenience charges for some online users. The board did not take further action on the contract at the meeting.
