News from the Office of the Recorder of Deeds, Chester County, Pennsylvania |
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Despite this busy workload, we found the time to create and develop innovations and implement new, cost-saving measures that promote more efficient outcomes and higher productivity to include the following: 1) Migration and conversion of all stored documents from an outdated and unsupported Oracle based system to a safe and secure SQL system. 2) Contracted with IQS to enable public online access for recorded documents prior to 1994. 3) Reorganized staffing to streamline positions and earn the County significant payroll savings. This reorganization also included the transformation of an Accountant Clerk IV position to an Accountant III (exempt) with no overtime. 4) Converted to Digital scanning of plan maps instead of an outdated and expensive mailing process to our vendor resulting in significant savings of postage fees and the discontinuation of aperture card fees. 5) And so much more…
Looking forward to 2021, we have drafted our preliminary budget and are pleased to announce that we estimate a 1% decrease in expenditures while also projecting a 26% increase in revenue based on current trends and past expenditures—all of this despite a once in a lifetime pandemic!
As I mentioned before, I could not be more proud of our department's staff and accomplishments during this difficult year. Our mission to serve has not wavered despite all that 2020 brought to our doorstep. No matter what curve balls that were thrown at us, our staff always found a way to knock it out of the park. I am reminded of the motto I learned while serving in the U.S. Army First Infantry Division – "No mission too difficult, no sacrifice too great, Duty First." To my colleagues at the Recorder of Deeds office, I thank you all for reminding me what this means when serving the public during these trying times.
As always, we thank you, our constituents, for your continued support of our department. It is an honor to serve you, the public, to the best of our ability. We wish you and your families all the best during the upcoming Holiday season and look forward to seeing you all in, perhaps, the beginning of a better, brighter year. In the meantime, Stay Well and Stay Safe.
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Chris Pielli, Esq.
Recorder of Deeds
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Continuing to Cope with COVID-19
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Our office is currently, temporarily closed to the public since Tuesday, December 1st, 2020. The office will remain closed through Tuesday, December 15th. This is due to the unprecedented increase in the number of COVID-19 attributable deaths and the average daily case count. We continue to accept documents for recording via mail, FedEx, UPS, and through our eRecording partners. As during our previous closure at the start of the pandemic, we have a partial team working on site while the remaining staff works from home and may continue doing so even after we reopen for the rest of the month. We are scheduled to reopen to the public on Wednesday, December 16th, 2020.
During this time, if you find any difficulty completing your business online or are unable to find answers to your questions, please send us an email at RODInfo@chesco.org or call (610) 344-6330. We are here to answer your call. Thank you for your patience and understanding in this matter. |
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On behalf of everyone at the Recorder of Deeds office, we wish you a joyous holiday season and a fantastic start to the new year. 2020 was certainly challenging for all, in a multitude of ways, and we hope 2021 brings all the good tidings a new year can offer.
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Celebrating Years of Service |
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As the conclusion of another year fast approaches, we feel it both appropriate and necessary to recognize members of our team who have served the Recorder of Deeds and/or Chester County for more than a decade (or two!). |
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Erin VanRyn, First Deputy
17 Years
Carissa Petrelia, Finance/Bookkeeping
16 Years
John Doran, Recording Technician
13 Years
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Sue Gayser, Indexing Specialist
27 Years
Francine Jenkins, Recording Technician
12 Years
Jane Delpaggio, Recording Technician
19 Years
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Mask Delivery to Southeastern PA Veterans
August 19, 2020 | Spring City, PA
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Naturalization Oath Event
July 17, 2020 | West Chester, PA
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Breast Cancer Awareness Dress Down Day
October 23, 2020 | West Chester, PA
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COVID-19 Green Phase Reopening
June 4, 2020 | West Chester, PA
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The Recorder of Deeds office is pleased to announce that its projected budget for 2021 estimates a 26% net increase in contributions to Chester County. In October, our management team joined the Commissioners’ Virtual 2021 Public Budget Session via Zoom to highlight the following calculations and cost-saving measures.
In addition to the aforementioned increase in net contributions, we show an approximate 1% decrease in our expenditures as compared to 2020. We’ve been able to minimize personnel expenses due, in part, to a reorganization at the beginning of this year. We have still budgeted for the same number of positions as 2020 but balanced costs through restructuring of positions, retirements and significant reduction of overtime. Some other areas in which our department has been able to reduce expenses include telephone fees, employee travel, dues and memberships, subscriptions and office supplies. We have also implemented several processing innovations developed by our staff which have resulted in much appreciated savings in both time and money.
Our recording activity has gone up significantly in all categories, so we have projected a $620,000 increase in department revenue in 2021 based on a more scrutinizing analysis of historical and YTD actuals. The current, trending increase in recording activity—especially in mortgages and satisfactions due, in large part, to refinancing with historically low interest rates—is expected to continue into next year. Increased recording in deeds and subdivision plans indicate new local development within Chester County. The per-document tech fee increase in effect since December of last year also contributes to increased revenue.
Finally, we are announcing some 2021 initiatives for improvements in records management, which will use the Recorder’s Act 8 Records Improvement funds. Very soon, the public will be able to access documents prior to 1994 directly via our website. These initiatives have a net-zero impact on the departmental budget since reimbursed revenues equal expenditures. The Chester County Recorder of Deeds office hopes for the same growth in 2021-22.
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Bubbles the bulldog is the official mascot of the Recorder of Deeds and best fur friend to First Deputy Erin VanRyn. Bubbles has all the answers to common questions as well as helpful tips to expedite your recording process without any major issues. Woof-hoo! |
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What is the difference between a Parcel Number and a UPI Number? |
Bubbles says: "Every document recorded through our office, including via eRecording, needs to have a UPI number, which is a shortened version of the Parcel number. Prior to submitting a document, both the UPI and Parcel Numbers can be found by researching on ChesCoViews. Documents without UPI numbers will be rejected. Documents containing only Parcel Numbers will also be rejected. Please see an example below."
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313 W. Market Street, West Chester, PA,
would have the following UPI and Parcel numbers:
UPI: 1-8-420 vs. Parcel #0108 04200000
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News from the Office of the Recorder of Deeds, Chester County, Pennsylvania |
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County of Chester, Recorder of Deeds | Website
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