Having used for a dozen years what was considered the State of California’s flaghip electronic recording delivery system, the San Bernardino County Recorder’s Office has now abandoned it in favor of what is anticipated to be a slightly less expensive version of the same thing that will use a server in Southern, rather than Northern, California.
The board of supervisors this week hurried to ratify San Bernardino County Recorder Robert Dutton’s somewhat late submission of the withdrawal request from the California Electronic Recording Transaction Network Authority because Tuesday was the last opportunity the board of supervisors would have had to do so without extending the current contract to use the system for another year.
On July 17, 2007 the board of supervisors as it was then composed authorized a joint powers agreement creating a public entity known as the California Electronic Recording Transaction Network Authority for the purpose of participating in an electronic recording delivery system. The electronic recording delivery system modernized the county’s recording function by allowing it to accept specific digitized records for recording from authorized submitters, such as title companies and lenders, under the authority of the Electronic Recording Delivery Act of 2004. Kern and San Bernardino Counties were the first two agencies to participate in the California Electronic Recording Transaction Network Authority and throughout the years, more California counties have joined, including several from Northern California.
According to a report to the board of supervisors from San Bernardino County Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk Robert Dutton, “Electronic recording has become a robust function within recorders’ offices statewide and accordingly another electronic recording delivery system system, like the California Electronic Recording Transaction Network Authority, has been formed in southern California. Withdrawal from the California Electronic Recording Transaction Network Authority joint powers authority will allow the San Bernardino County Recorder’s Office to participate in an electronic recording delivery system system that is locally based in Southern California with other like-sized counties. Participating in a local electronic recording delivery system system will reduce the time staff spends travelling to and from Northern California for the California Electronic Recording Transaction Network Authority meetings and conferences, and provide a new pricing structure that will result in an estimated $50,000 savings annually.”
The board of supervisors complied with the request to rubberstamp Dutton’s withdrawal of his office from the joint powers authority because exiting from the California Electronic Recording Transaction Network Authority can only be done on the first day of July of any year following six months notice by resolution of intent to withdraw adopted by the legislative body of the participating agency.
-M.G.