I am writing in response to the recent editorial in the Portland Press Herald regarding an ongoing dispute about the fees charged for providing access to public records electronically (“High court should back electronic records access.” Dec. 26).

I am register of deeds for Cumberland County and president of the Maine Registers of Deeds Association.

While Cumberland County is currently involved in a lawsuit and I can’t comment on those aspects of the editorial, I do take exception to several of the other statements made.

The Registry of Deeds is the office authorized to record documents pertaining to real estate transactions in that county. To assist customers in finding relevant documents, registries have created a searchable index.

If you look at the records, it is easy to see the progression of technology, from handwritten documents to today’s digital images of each document.

Beginning in 2003, the registries began using the Internet to increase public access to records. Every county in Maine has a registry website available to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Most registry documents go back to the 1700s/1800s. Cumberland County, for example, has more than 10 million digitized images available.

All registries are open for business Monday through Friday so that the public can inspect all real estate documents. Our customers can perform a search for free and view a document for free either at the registry or online. The fee, as set by the Legislature, is 50 cents per copy online and $1 per copy at the registry.

To create the impression, as your editorial does, that the counties are backward and not providing up-to-date services is incorrect and a great injustice to the public. While others may wish to create that impression for their own gain, I am surprised that a reputable newspaper would propagate those misleading statements.

Pamela Lovley is the register of deeds for Cumberland County.

 

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