Monroe County Recorder
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Amy Swain
(Dem)
1. What motivated you to run for this office?
2. What would you do to improve online access to pre-1991 county documents?
3. What challenges face the county in its commitment to maintain documents in perpetuity?
4. What actions would you support to modernize or improve efficiency/customer service of the Recorder’s Office?
Education
Bachelor's Degree from IU in Business
Occupation
Monroe County Recorder since January 2023
Public service is something I grew up with. It's been wonderful to serve as the Monroe County Recorder for the past 3+ years, and I hope to serve for another four. Starting at the township level, I was able to assist my neighbors, serving on the Indian Creek Township board. Now serving at the county level, I'm able to help all property owners in Monroe County. Our team at the Recorder's Office works diligently, with a customer-centered focus, a goal I had when I first took office. I want to continue improving accessibility to records both in the office and online. There are projects in the works, and more to come that will help with this, and I'd like to see them through to completion. I want to keep moving our office forward.
We have already started a three-prong project to do just this. Partnering with a software vendor, we are digitizing the books that are in our office at the courthouse. These include many types of documents such as deeds, mortgages, etc. There has already been one round of scanning and there will be another round sometime later this year. Next year, these digitally-scanned records will be indexed with keywords for searching, making them accessible both in office and online. Even the scans can be accessed in the office prior to indexing by title searchers who know how to search for them. And our staff are trained to assist others who need help in the meantime.
Some of the challenges include budgetary concerns and real estate market fluctuations which affect our revenue, understanding changing/emerging technology, finding trusted business partners and increasing expectations by the public for access. Cybersecurity is always a challenge for any modern workplace. Most of what we do is dictated by Indiana Code or law, so changes in the law are another challenge. Since the Recorder is a constitutional office and therefore term limited, there are sometimes changes in data formatting as the office has changed administrations, software and technology. Changes in the law have also affected this as recording requirements have changed. All of these things are being managed and would continue to be.
We've already taken steps to do so in my first term by keeping technology up to date, by making certain software available to title searchers and by working with other offices for a smooth workflow on joint processes. One of the first things I did was to address the fact that the Recorder's Office was unable to accept credit card payment. At first, I entered into a month-to-month agreement with a credit card processor until our software vendor could find a more economical processor that could be integrated into our system. As soon as that was available, we were able to switch. Digitizing and indexing historical records is another step. Continuing education for myself and my staff through webinars, ongoing training and discussion helps.
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