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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClerk's OfficeCounty Clerk’s Office Presenters: Steve Dennison Jeff Sageser Michael Lui ▪FY24-25 Proposed Budget Presentation Budget Committee Meeting | May 22, 2024 Clerk’s Office Overview A professional, knowledgeable and friendly team that takes pride in its work, providing excellent and timely service to customers while embracing and actively meeting change. Clerk’s Office Overview (cont.) •Archive / Records Center •Recording of Real Property Records •Marriage Licenses •Passport Applications •Deschutes County Business Licenses •Finders Keepers (Finding item valued over $250) •Property Value Appeals Board (PVAB, formerly known as BOPTA) •Elections and Voting Clerk’s Office Accomplishments •In partnership with several county departments, County Records Center and Archives has reduced over 30% of a backlog that were beyond retention and destruction in accordance with Oregon Administrative Rule 166.150. The result will be reflected as a savings in department budgets relating to records retention. •The Oregon Secretary of State is implementing a new statewide voter registration system in 2025. Elections staff has been heavily involved in testing and configuration of this new system. FY 24-25 Clerk’s Office Budget Details •Accepting passport applications •Issuing marriage licenses •Recording real property transactions •Reimbursement for some election costs 24-25 RESOURCES FY 24-25 Clerk’s Office Budget Details •Personnel •Software and maintenance agreement increases •Paper costs (ballots and envelopes) •Postage for ballot mailings 24-25 REQUIREMENTS FY 24-25 Clerk’s Office Fiscal Issues •Sustained higher interest rates could lead to long-term impact on revenue. •Increased costs relating to new statewide voter registration system. •Some state legislation, if passed, could have significant long-term financial impact. •The primary revenue source for the Clerk’s Office is recording fees. Recording revenues remain below the 10-year average. The primary driver for the reduction in revenue has been the increases in interest rates over the last few years. •Cyclical election revenues. Short-term Fiscal Issues Long-term Fiscal Issues FY 24-25 Clerk’s Office Fiscal Issues (cont.) •Recording fees are directly related to the number of pages the County Clerk's Office records. •Mortgage records are the main revenue driver to page count. •As the cost of borrowing money increases due to higher interest rates the Clerk's Office is projecting a 47% decrease in page county year over year. Short-term Fiscal Issues and Long-term Fiscal Issues Continued Current Challenges and Future Initiatives •Work with county to provide solution to space needs for conducting elections safely and securely. •Consideration of subscription-based access to real property records online. •Increase voter outreach, education and engagement. •Space needs for elections operations are critically inefficient and pose risks. •Some state legislation, if passed, would have significant impact on how elections are conducted. •Succession planning continues to be reevaluated by the Clerk’s Office Challenges Future Initiatives Thank you We welcome any questions or comments.