By vacating the off-site storage, which is off Third Street, the county could save as much as $30,000 a year in rent. If and when the decision is made, Freeze said the move could take 18 months to two years and would likely cost about $70,000.
“I would like to have every record the county has in a county-owned facility,” said Freeze, who also serves as Trenton's mayor.
There is about 24,000 cubic feet worth of records on site and off site, and has accepted 2,000 cubic feet of new records this year.
People from more than 11 states have requested information, and at the end of August, 8,000 requests for information were made, which surpasses last year’s total, Freeze said.
“This is going to be one of our more significant years and in the past we’ve had up to 10,000 (requests),” she said.
Fairfield resident Tom Schmidt conducts title exams in the county and frequently uses the Records Center.
“If I have a divorce in 2004 or 2007, I have to look back on the papers of that divorce. Same with foreclosure exams,” he said. “Also closed estates before 2007 is over there. I have to look into estates back into the 1920s and 1930s and look at it.”
While he said the Butler County Records Center is one of the more efficient facilities he’s used, there are still some inefficiencies.
And since that storage facility is rented, he’d rather see the records kept in county-owned buildings.
Commissioner Donald Dixon said he’s pushed for two years to consolidate all county departments into the unused county-owned spaces, not just the records center. He’d also like to see the Records Center be placed back under Recorder Danny Crank’s office.
Commissioner Charles Furmon supports consolidating the records center, so long as the proper fire suppression system is in place and funding’s available.
If there’s a savings to be had, we’re in favor we want to look at it,” Furmon said.
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