COURT HOUSE — As is my custom at year-end, I reflect upon what we were able to accomplish for the citizens of Cape May County in the offices of the County Clerk and County Adjuster; 2009 was a year in which we all made adjustments in our changed world.
In the County Clerk’s Office, my staff and I worked hard to implement changes to the election process enabling voters more options in casting their ballots by mail.
The Vote-By-Mail Law seemed unlikely to pass early in the year but by May the state’s 21 county clerks were bracing to quickly implement all the changes in time for the fall elections.
We were ready with a multitude of new forms and updated procedures in time for the Special School Election which took place in Ocean City on Sept. 29. I expect the provisions of Vote-By-Mail to affect future elections by increasing the ratio of mail-in ballots to the overall number of votes cast.
For the past Nov. 3 Gubernatorial Election Mail-In-Ballots accounted for 9.2 percent of ballots cast.
It is ironic to me that the total number of documents and real estate transactions recorded in 2009 were up over 2008, but the revenue to the county and the state is down as a result of less deeds transferring and lower sale prices of those properties being sold.
Before we close our books this year we are showing 124,000-plus transactions, $4 million in revenue to the county with total receipts over $17 million.
In 2008, those totals were 115,965 transactions, $4.69 million in revenue to the county with $25.6 million in total receipts. We did more in 2009 for less money.
New mortgages, mortgage assignment and release documents, notices of real estate settlement and foreclosures were all up over the prior year. Electronic recordings continue to grow in prominence; 28 percent of all mortgage discharge documents were recorded electronically in 2009.
Our RIM (Records and Information Management) Office trained municipal staff to utilize the electronic Records Mine portal for inventory of records functions offered as a shared government service.
In 2009 we continued our efforts to preserve historic government records. Through a Public Archives and Records Infrastructure Support Grant our RIM Office managed a shared service project to provide professional conservation treatments to the historic records of 15 municipalities. These precious volumes were unbound, pages carefully repaired, cleaned, treated, microfilmed, scanned and rebound by hand using old world tools and craftsmanship.
Our Public Records Room and Archives was a flurry of activity throughout the year.
In addition to the constant records requests for deeds, mortgages and maps from walk in, phone, fax, mail and email customers, 149 researchers signed in to work with archival records collections dating back to 1692.
We hosted our fifth annual Archives Day Workshop on Oct. 14 for the public with judicial archival records displays and a lecture on the life and work of Judge Henry H. Eldredge II by historian Michael Conley.
We participated in the Cape May County Historical and Genealogical Society’s Founder’s Day festivities September 4 and 5 with two lectures on conservation and the origins of local governments in Cape May County.
My staff in the County Adjuster’s Office worked throughout the year scheduling court hearings for those committed to mental institutions and to provide interment for those indigent citizens who passed away with no one to provide a dignified burial for them. It was our privilege to provide two such burials in 2009.
I am proud to have achieved the milestone in 2009 of having performed over 400 wedding ceremonies since I became County Clerk in 2005; this year alone I surpassed 130. It is a joyful part of my job as County Clerk to connect with people and their families on this special day.
I am full of hope for 2010 and ready to meet the challenges before me.
Cape May – Governor Murphy says he doesn't know anything about the drones and doesn't know what they are doing but he does know that they are not dangerous. Does anyone feel better now?
