Meeting Public Comments

Roxann Vokaty [Howard County Recorder]

I fully support Iowa Land Records. 20 years ago the Iowa Recorders came together to create a statewide system that works great. I feel allowing counties to step away from Iowa Land Records will be detrimental to the smaller counties that will continue to partake in the statewide submission portion of the site as they will pay more to cover the loss of those counties. The stakeholders of all counties will continue to utilize the electronic submission through Iowa Land Records, yet only the ones participating in the 28E will be paying for the upkeep.

Heather Bushbaum [Franklin County Recorder]

I have worked in the Franklin County Recorder's Office for over 22 years, first as a clerk, then Deputy and now Recorder. I was here for the beginning of Iowa Land Records, and saw how the Recorder's Association came together to make things work smoothly with ILR. Our local stakeholders use ILR for their real estate searches and to submit esubmission documents. They appreciate that this is "one stop shop" regardless of which county they are filing in. This is not a broken system. Why would we change how it works? The 28E agreement that has governed Iowa's Recorders has been a cornerstone for the success and efficiency of Iowa's land records system. For over two decades, this collaborative approach has allowed counties, especially smaller ones, to leverage shared resources, technology, and support that they would not otherwise be able to afford on their own. Breaking this agreement would place a disproportionate financial burden on these smaller counties, creating inefficiencies and potentially increasing costs for taxpayers.The collective model that the 28E agreement fosters allows all counties to benefit from the streamlined processes of the Iowa Land Records system, enhancing real estate transactions, ensuring recording compliance, and providing a centralized point of access for stakeholders across the state. Eliminating the agreement risks undermining these efficiencies, potentially leading to confusion for users, and creating a fragmented system that would ultimately be more costly for all involved.It is crucial that we continue to work together under the 28E agreement to ensure the sustainability and success of Iowas land records system, keeping it efficient, affordable, and accessible for all counties, large and small.

Stacey Pratt [Franklin County Recorder]

I have been the Deputy Recorder in Franklin County for 3 months, and before that, I was the Assistant to the Assessor in the Assessor's office for 11 years. The thought of the dissolution of the 28E agreement with Iowa Land Recorders is alarming to me. I daily recommend that the public use this valuable service in both the Recorder's office and the Assessor's office. Iowa Land Recorders has been a trusted and useful tool for local banks, abstract offices, realtors, and the public. The uniqueness and quality of information available on this required statewide database is second to none across the county. We possess a tool that is envied by several states; I am at a loss as to why jurisdictions would want to gut this powerful and coveted tool. Thanks for listening, Stacey Pratt

Andrew Moats [Pottawattamie County Recorder]

The 28E Agreement that establishes ESS and Iowa Land Records is a vital part Iowa's real estate community. Many people across the state depend on the documents available on Iowa Land Records and it is imperative that the document storage and search site of Iowa Land Records stay intact and remain fully funded.However, I also believe that counties should have choices for services for anything outside of the mandate to share our records with a statewide search site. The proposed amendment to HF 328, I believe, is a fair compromise that gives counties choices, maintains Iowa's nation leading statewide search site, and helps fund Recorder's offices across that state at a time when counties are facing significant budget constraints.

Karen Mathis

I was fortunate to join the Allamakee County Recorder's office back in 2016 and have served as the Recorder since Jan 2023. Before Iowa Land Records, I worked at a local bank as a loan processing administrator. I still remember all the trips to the Recorder's office to complete lien searches on properties we were financing. The ability to complete these searches on ILR 24/7 is something we take for granted. Allowing counties to remove themselves from the 28E agreement will affect our smaller counties, having to pay more money to cover the absence of funding needed to maintain ILR. If our budgets don't allow for this, what will happen? Possibly take us back to the days before erecording and force everyone to search for records once again in our local offices. Why would any of us want to take this risk?