Recorder’s office backlog reduced

Monday, Jan. 12, 2004 | 11:05 a.m.

The Clark County Recorder's Office, responding to a recent county audit of its policies, has instituted new procedures for handling documents that an office spokeswoman said has improved a backlog of documents to be processed.

The office still has an 11-day backlog of mailed documents to be recorded, but that's a week shorter than the previous backlog, said Susan Wohlberandt, a spokeswoman for Recorder Fran Deane's office.

The procedures sometimes can mean a longer wait for people, including representatives of title companies, who walk in with documents to be recorded, Wohlberandt said. But the delays have been minimal and in many cases the delays now are shorter than before the office implemented the new procedures.

Clark County released a report by its auditors Jan. 2 that looked at the policies in place within the recorder's office, which performs a critical public function by documenting property titles and other important paperwork. Such documentation is necessary for buying or selling real estate.

The audit found that the recorder's office gave preferential treatment to walk-in customers, including title companies, over documents mailed to the office. The auditors, citing the Clark County District Attorney and state law, said that is illegal.

Preferential treatment of any kind can give an inappropriate edge to a party if a dispute over ownership arises, the audit reported.

Title companies, many of which backed Deane's run for the office in November 2002, have had access to the office in ways that the general public has not. In March 2003, companies had access to a dedicated fax line for documents while all phone lines for the general public were down, a move that Deane said was needed to catch up on weeks of backlogged work.

But Wohlberandt said the office is not selecting any customer, private or commercial, for special service.

"Everybody's a preferred customer here," she said.

Wohlberandt said that mailed-in documents are now stamped with the time of arrival -- to the second -- and all available staff are put on the mail at 10 a.m. weekdays. She said the new policy, implemented Tuesday, initially was expected to create longer waits for people in line for face-to-face service.

"We anticipated there would be an increase in the wait time," she said. "We have found the flow is a lot better, that there is a decrease in the wait time.

"We're being more productive," Wohlberandt said. "The backlog is still there, but we're addressing it."

On Monday, the office was 18 days behind in documenting mail-in paperwork. By the end of the week, that backlog was down to 11 days. Wohlberandt said she expected that margin to continue to improve.

She said some waiting is inevitable, but customers can cut the odds and length of a wait for service by coming in before 9 a.m. of after 2 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Mondays, Fridays and the ends of months are usually busier, Wohlberandt said.

While delays may not be common, Clark County Manager Thom Reilly said the recorder's office has referred people who have had to wait to his office.

"I have been getting phone calls from people who are waiting long and they're telling them it is my fault," he said. "I'm telling them that she (Deane) is probably responding to the internal audit and state law."

Reilly's office initiated the audit because whistle-blowers in the recorder's office complained that title companies and other walk-in customers were receiving preferential treatment, and that mail-in documents were being given less priority, county officials said two weeks ago.