From the best that we can surmise, the Deed Room in Metro Hall has not been touched in any manner (other than computer and software change outs) in more than 45 years. In fact, some areas haven’t been touched in more than a hundred years.
Currently Metro Hall (formerly referred to as the Jefferson County Courthouse) is the oldest surviving government building in Jefferson County. Construction began in 1836 and was completed in 1860. The building itself was renovated in 1905 because of a fire due to faulty electrical wiring.
In the last decade Bobbie Holsclaw, Jefferson County Clerk, has focused on seeing that many of the Deed Room documents are now computerized. From 1984 to current date, you can bring up county plats and condo’s online. Many of the extremely old records have been preserved through lamination. Very soon, the Clerk’s Office will be implementing the scanning Microfiche from 1984 forward to a digital copy.
The Clerk’s Office has a new enhanced online land records website. The site provides access to images of recorded documents for JCCO employees, members of the legal profession, the local title community and the public. The site provides expanded search capabilities and faster access to more than 18 million pages of electronically scanned images that reside in the JCCO’s land records database.
Beginning in 2015, a new land records recording and indexing computer system called “The Registry” was implemented. The new system replaced an AS/400-based ACS recording and indexing system. The new system has a variety of new features and work-flow enhancements that make the Legal Records Department more efficient, accurate and customer-friendly.
The “Registry” features an automated document routing system. Deeds, mortgages and other recorded documents are scanned into the system at the beginning of the recording process. This feature allows Clerks in the Legal Records departments to work from the scanned images. Features of the software include automated book and page number generation, integrated Social Security Number redaction, bar-code recognition and enhanced quality-control measures.
Internally, this has changed the way the Clerk’s Office does business. Instead of the three separate departments of Deed Room, Recording, and Indexing, it will be considered one department – Legal Records housed in the Jefferson County Deed Room.
All Deed Room employees were cross trained to do each task as well as extend VIP service to anyone needing assistance or conducting business with the Clerk’s Office.
“My goal is to provide the best service possible to the legal and title community that is high tech and customer service orientated,” said Bobbie Holsclaw, Jefferson County Clerk.
