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Clerk and staff urge cautious digitization of old county maps amid public-record concerns
Summary
County staff described a project to scan decades of construction and map records to preserve fragile originals, while flagging legal and access questions about when scanned material becomes public record and how to restrict external automated title searches.
County records and mapping staff told commissioners they have scanned many old construction plans and want to digitize additional maps to preserve fragile originals and free up storage space. Staff said scanned maps are currently accessible in the office system but cautioned that making files publicly accessible online could allow low-cost, off-shore title-search services to harvest records.
"If they're scanned from public records and still held in your office, they're they become public record," one staff member (speaker 3) said during the discussion. Staff and commissioners debated access controls: keeping digital files accessible only on county public computers or in-office terminals would allow title companies and members of the public to consult records without publishing them broadly online.
Staff recommended carefully scoping which maps are made publicly available and retaining others in an office-only system to preserve privacy and title integrity; the commission and staff asked for follow-up on legal constraints and any subscription services necessary for broader public access.
