MAHONING VALLEY Recorders slam increase

Trumbull County's recorder termed the move 'outrageous.'
By STEPHEN SIFF
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
Fees for recording deeds, mortgages and other official documents will double starting in August, when an increase written into the new state budget goes into effect.
The fee paid to recorder's offices throughout the state to record a two-page deed, for example, goes up from $14 to $28.
A 20-page mortgage jumps from $86 to $172, and copy fees climb from $1 a page to $2.
The additional money, minus a 1 percent administration fee, goes to the state to help balance the budget and fund the Ohio Housing Trust Fund.
"If anyone thinks the banks or the title companies are going to pay for this, they are fooling themselves," said Mahoning County Recorder Ronald Gerberry. "The public is going to pay for this."
If fees continue to be generated at last year's level, the increase will raise $800,000 in Columbiana County, $1.5 million in Trumbull County and $1.6 million in Mahoning County for the state.
Statewide, it is expected to raise $50 million for the Ohio Housing Trust Fund, which provides money to build or renovate affordable housing, and about $40 million for the state's general fund.
"It does not benefit us in any way," said Trumbull County Recorder Diana Marchese. "It is outrageous."
Until the latest state budget, signed by Gov. Bob Taft last week, all the money collected by county recorders remained in their counties.
Most goes toward each county's general fund, but $3 per document is earmarked for an equipment fund under the recorder's control.
Recorders' objections
The fee increase was opposed by county recorders in the Mahoning Valley and by the 88-member Ohio Recorders' Association.
"It's trying to balance the budget on the backs of the counties," said Columbiana County Recorder Jeff Hochadel. "I don't think county offices should be used as a tax generator for the state."
Gerberry, a former state legislator, agrees.
"It is bad public policy," Gerberry said. "It is pathetic. I can't find the adjective to describe what a bad public policy this is."
Local recorders say the state's plan to raise revenue may backfire. Banks could switch to shorter forms for mortgages, cutting the amount they pay for fees.
The last time recording fees were raised was in 1993.
siff@vindy.com