Large counties need recorder’s office
Now that the primary election dust has settled, I have been asked to address the political rhetoric of a few who want to eliminate the Lake County Recorder of Deeds office. Because so much misinformation has gone unquestioned, it seems as though a fact-check is in order.
There are 102 counties in Illinois. With a population of over 700,000, Lake County is the third largest county in Illinois. One candidate’s spin has been that 86 counties do not have a recorder’s office. What he fails to mention is that only 23 counties have a population of over 60,000, which qualifies them to have a separate recorder’s office.
Of the 23 eligible counties, 19 have separate recorder’s offices. Four do not. It’s obvious that these four rural counties do not have the workload or demand. To compare the operation of Lake County with rural counties is very misleading and just doesn’t make sense. The top counties in Illinois have separate recorder offices because of the volume of work.
There is not a single task performed in the Lake County Recorder’s Office that is duplicated by any other government office. It is irresponsible to suggest that these statutory duties could be combined. Every single function and task must be performed in accordance with state statute. We are here to protect your biggest investment and keep a watchful eye on nearly 7 million documents that are used daily in real estate, banking, and construction projects.
In addition, taxpayers, the title companies, lenders, surveyors, engineers, law enforcement, and legal professionals all rely on the prompt service of the Recorder of Deeds Office. The recorder’s office is completely transparent with our budget, Freedom of Information forms and other links available on our website.
We are totally accessible. Whether you do business by mail, phone, or on the Internet, your requests will be processed immediately by our courteous and professional staff.
I am happy to continue the conversation on the importance of the recorder’s office, hoping the facts are presented honestly and truthfully.
Mary Ellen Vanderventer
Lake County Recorder
Waukegan