Jasper County Recorder’s Office moves

Customers wanting to purchase or renew their hunting and fishing licenses will no longer have to climb a flight of stairs or take the elevator to get to the Jasper County Recorder’s Office, which has moved to the south side of the courthouse formerly occupied by the driver’s license and motor vehicle department.

Jasper County Recorder Denise Allan encourages residents to check out the new offices in Room 102, which not only has more space and a break room for her employees but also a larger lobby and vitals room; the latter of which is surrounded by old office relics and a massive county map taking up most of the wall.

The new recorder’s office space had undergone extensive renovations before staff moved in. The front counter has been equipped with glass panels and includes a slightly lower tabletop for individuals in wheelchairs. Improved accessibility is something Allan had hoped the new space would provide.

“It saves people from having to run up the steps,” Allan said. “We have a lot of stakeholders that come in every day and retrieve documents or bring documents in, too. So this is definitely easier access for them, as well as the two abstract companies that come in and out fairly frequently. It’s convenient for everyone.”

Employees moved in to the new office on April 7 with the help of the maintenance and IT department. Three days later the recorder’s office was fully operational.

Previously, staff desks were close together because there was not enough space to spread out. But the new office has plenty of room and meets ADA standards. Allan said the air quality is also noticeably better since the move, noting a lot of dust had accumulated on the books and records.

The move also gives staff a chance to showcase some things that have been hidden in the office all these years, specifically the maps and relics on display.

The board of supervisors approved the recorder’s office’s request to move in to the new space one year ago. Since the driver’s license and motor vehicle department moved in to the new administration building, it left the former office space completely vacant. Allan said the ground-floor location serves the office well.

“It’s such a better location for people coming in to the office, because as I said in the board room the other day we have so many older people with disabilities that I think it’s just so much better for them,” she said. “And it’s a great space! It’s too great a space to be sitting empty. It was beneficial for everybody involved.”

At the April 18 supervisors meeting, Allan publicly thanked the board and the county employees who took part in re-locating the recorder’s office. In the past, it was difficult for some customers to reach the next floor to access the recorder’s office, so she is appreciative that they do not have to struggle to enter her office.

“I just feel real privileged to still be in this building,” Allan said to the board of supervisors. “I love this building and I think Jasper County has a real jewel here.”

The recorder’s office provides a variety of services, with the primary function being real estate; more specifically, to record real estate documents like deeds, mortgages and releases to put third parties on notice of transactions. The office also records military service documents for veterans.

Other functions include: providing certified birth, death and marriage certificates; working with the department of revenue in collecting sales tax; selling all kinds of licenses through the department of natural resources; and registering ATV/UTV, snowmobiles and off-road motorcycles, among other things.