Comments for Beaufort County Commissioners vote not to record paper copies of deeds | Eastern North Carolina Now

Every single day

Commented: Friday, October 6th, 2023 @ 2:40 pm By: Big Bob

Prendiegirl: So far, from my very short investigation, the newest statute 47-1A deals with the demand to institute electronic registration and storage; it does not negate hard copy registration of deeds from an earlier general statute in 1973.

I will to talk to the Secretary of State's office and the UNC School of Government, on my own, to get their perspective as to how to accomplish what I think is best, but only if it is perfectly proper to allay my concerns and the concerns of others regarding the best record keeping here in the new age, an age of great uncertainty when it comes to electronic digital storage.

We will settle all this out at the next commissioners' meeting, and then Commissioner Richardson can apologize, or not.

It may also be that we vote to give additional direction to the Beaufort County Registry.

Commented: Friday, October 6th, 2023 @ 8:55 am By: Stan Deatherage

I just want to comment that I think it's great that commissioner Deatherage and register of the Deeds Carolyn Garris are willing to meet together and come up with a solution. It speaks to both of your character. I also want to comment to Big Bob that I'm not a boomer so Boomers aren't the only ones that like paper.

Commented: Thursday, October 5th, 2023 @ 8:09 pm By: Gary Ceres

Stan Deatherage: We are recording hard copies (over the counter real estate documents), and we are still printing hard copy real estate indexes. We are also eRecording real estate documents. eRecording was started in 2022. I will be happy to discuss this issue with you at any time. It is also necessary to have some workspace for our attorneys, paralegals, and others that are researching. The previous register posted a notice in the Register of Deeds office that real estate books would no longer be printed after December 31, 2022. She insructed the staff to fill the last book. The last document placed in the book was dated January 4, 2023. Please take time to stop by my office to review and discuss. Respectfully, Carolyn L Garris, Register of Deeds

Commented: Thursday, October 5th, 2023 @ 3:58 pm By: Carolyn Garris

Doomers (climate alarmists) hate paper, but then they hate prosperity, too.

Commented: Thursday, October 5th, 2023 @ 2:54 pm By: Conservative Voter

Boomers love paper!

Commented: Thursday, October 5th, 2023 @ 1:29 pm By: Big Bob

This appears to be a conflict in the state statute. I just read the entire State Statute and it kind of contradicts itself in several areas and this is because the law was written a long time ago before all electronic and Internet devices had been created and is very vague in whether a hard copy is actually required. The language itself says filing system. I am a strong advocate of keeping hard copies since there are many reasons for doing so such as hacking, possible emps or electric failures, software issues, and the fact that we are a state where the first one to file has standing in court and it is more easily manipulated through electronic means then paper means. That stated if you read the actual statute it is up to the county to give direction to the register of deeds as to how to file the system properly according to their desires and to provide the funding and space to do so. The most logical conclusion is that the state needs to update the statute to be more specific as to whether we are referring to hard copies or simply a required filing system. If anyone would like to read the full statute here it is I'm not going to post the whole thing but you can look it up online and read it it's quite extensive with many different sections. Some sections seem to infer paper documentation While others make vague references to filing systems which courts have ruled can be electronic. Our laws should not be so vague. I think perhaps a meeting of the minds between the register of deeds and the County Commissioners could have some clarity and avoid any personalities being in conflict since the statute itself does seem to be rather vague and the problem seems to be with the state statute rather than with a particular office or local officials. The county should however make it a priority to have hard copies made and provide the space to store them since there are many reasons for doing so five of which I discussed with commissioner Deathrage today that make a lot of sense.

Relevant statute: §§ 161-12 through 161-13: Repealed by Session Laws 1973, c. 1027.

Commented: Wednesday, October 4th, 2023 @ 9:07 pm By: Gary Ceres

Steve: I just had a long conversation with Washington City Council Candidate Gary Ceres about this issue of the county's responsibility to properly maintain a recorded history, in total perfection, of all documents of conveyance, and, of a lesser importance, all other recorded documents.

Between us, we came up with 5 good reasons why a hard copy document, with a hard copy index, in a fireproof space is essential to the continuance of maintaining stability when dire circumstances will present themselves.

Without hearing from the responsible bureaucrats, it is now my position that this situation is a complete aberration to the common sense of record keeping. Once I get that opinion from these best and brightest bureaucrats, I still cannot see my governing opinion to purposefully process the better path struck changing in a meaningful way.

Like you Steve, I have considerable experience with this issue of doing what is ultimately right, if not perfectly right when it comes to the real of record keeping. Its proper importance is absolute.

Commented: Wednesday, October 4th, 2023 @ 12:53 pm By: Stan Deatherage

Maintaining proper deed records, and that means hard copy records having primacy, is important to the citizens of Beaufort County. The best path to accomplish that is to try to get people working together and not descend into warring factions. Proper policy is what is important here, not personalities.

Stan, you are quite correct about the hard copy index, as well. When I was doing real property work as an attorney, I was always very leery of a computer index, and there is a very good reason for that. With a hard copy index book, it is easy to pick up a variation in a name that can reveal documents that may impact the title you are searching. A computer index is only going to spit back the name exactly as it is put in the computer. I first encountered a computerized index of more recent filings in Pitt County over 20 years ago, and was so uncomfortable in relying on it, I never did any further real property work in that county.

The space problem is real, something I could see coming years ago. There are ways to temporarily put bandaids on it, but none of them are going to work long term or even medium term and not even very acceptable short term. We need hard copy deed books and index books, and we need more space in the Register of Deeds office to accomodate them.

As a practical matter, when there are multiple people working on titles at one time, using the books allows everyone to work instead of waiting in line to use the computer terminals. For permanence, hard copy records are more secure. In the days of computer hacking, expecially on the cusp of AI making that potentially much easier and more far reaching, relying exclusively on computerized records is asking for trouble. Further, we could easily have major computer outages if the Earth experiences another massive solar eruption of the scale of the Carrington Event of 1859. We have come all too close to that several times since.

Our elected officials have a duty to Beaufort County citizens to maintain our courthouse records in a usable and permanent form, hardcopy plus digital or microfilm backup. We need all of our elected officials to work toward that goal.

Commented: Wednesday, October 4th, 2023 @ 12:19 pm By: Steven P. Rader

OK Boomer, woke? Is there anything you wont blame on non-white men? Shameful.

Commented: Wednesday, October 4th, 2023 @ 9:47 am By: Big Bob

The space dis available in the Register of deeds office for up to ten more years of hard copies..

The Beaufort County commissioners set the budget for the filing of hard copies. There is no issue about who has the authority and who has the money to pay for it.

This is a renegade and woke register of deeds who knows more than anyone. Not recording deeds flys in the face of our history and the preservation of property rights. Because it has an R behind the name does not mean it understands the constitution and our heritage.

Commented: Wednesday, October 4th, 2023 @ 5:35 am By: Hood Richardson

You are right Buzz on all counts, but we need a full evaluation of the situation, and I expect it to be done by the next time we meet, or The Hood and I will seek action once again to force these commissioners to do what it takes to straighten out what could become a massive problem - an impromptu EMP burst, natural or otherwise.

The Hood could be wrong on this one ... but, I doubt it.

Commented: Tuesday, October 3rd, 2023 @ 10:58 pm By: Stan Deatherage

Countrygirl411: I will write what I know soon, but suffice it to say, the key is recording a hardcopy (not the original), indexed by hardcopy at the County Registry. That is what is paramount as per state general statues (without research I can not be specific which statute).

Commented: Tuesday, October 3rd, 2023 @ 6:27 pm By: Stan Deatherage

Prendie Girl. You are so quick to throw the liar grenade. It has worked for you a lot in the past. It does not work on people who have even half a brain. If you are so smart, prove that I am lying. One of us is a LIAR.

Commented: Tuesday, October 3rd, 2023 @ 12:11 pm By: Hood Richardson

I agree that hard copy should be kept even though records are becoming more digital for convenience and space. For instance military records DD214 for example my father served into the military and served two years, now that he is deceased I've been trying to locate his records and they are not to be found. Human Error on input happens every single day, being able to reference back to hard copies helped resolve and correct those errors.

Commented: Tuesday, October 3rd, 2023 @ 11:42 am By: Sherry Sawyer

Mr Richardson, you should go study the 10 Commandments especially the Nineth. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. And you call yourself a Christian.

Commented: Tuesday, October 3rd, 2023 @ 11:14 am By: Prendiegirl