clay county commission

Karen Newman Midgarden 

Clay County Recorder, Kim Savageau, appeared before the March 1 meeting of the Clay County Commission to provide her department’s annual update. Savageau began her presentation with the department’s mission statement:

The Recorder’s Office’s mission is to promptly record, file and preserve documents accurately in an efficient, responsible and profession manner for posterity and legal purposes.

To conduct the mission of the Clay County Recorder’s Office, three employees and Savageau are responsible for maintaining updated and accurate records in the areas of:

·       Real Estate

·       Births

·       Deaths

·       Marriage Licenses

·       Marriage Credentials

·       Notary Public Registration

·       State/Federal tax liens

Savageau said, “About 70% of documents are submitted electronically to us.  Even though they are submitted electronically, it does take about the same amount to process them versus a paper document. It is nice for them to come in electronically.”

“Real estate recording is the bulk of what we do in our office,” said Savageau.  Real estate recording data for the past five years follows:

·       2017: 11,423

·       2018: 10,020

·       2019: 10,797

·       2020: 13,567

·       2021: 14,077

Savageau noted that in 2021 her office recorded plats for communities including Oak Port Township, Hawley Township, Ulen, Dilworth, Moorhead, and Barnesville.

Certified birth certificates issued:

·       2019: 1,762

·       2020: 1,425

·       2021: 1,452

Marriage licenses issued:

·       2017: 692

·       2018: 660

·       2019: 574

·       2020: 503

·       2021: 586

Savageau expressed her thanks to the Clay County Commission for granting her department financial assistance through the Corona Virus, Aid, Recovery, and Economic Security Act (CARES). CARES funding granted to the Recorder’s Office enabled them to complete two projects that made obtaining information easier for the public. Savageau added that prior to the existence of technology that makes creating virtual records possible; her backup records were stored on microfilm which deteriorates.

The first project involved scanning the county’s mortgage books, tract books and grantor/grantee indexes were. Mortgage books are now accessible through the Land Records Program dating back to about 1870. Grantor/ Grantee Index books are all scanned, accessible and backed up.

The second project completed by the Recorder’s Office includes image enhancement and media conversion for all deeds and miscellaneous documents back to about 1870.

Commissioner David Ebinger, citing his interest in history, noted, “These records go back to five years after the Civil War.”

Savageau concluded, “Our on-line access is pretty thorough at this point.  I appreciate the CARES funding that we were able to receive to use for that.  It has been phenomenal.”