Oakland County Executive David Coulter: concerns regarding House Bills 4729–4732 (May 10, 2021)

Summary

A letter dated May 10, 2021 from Dave Coulter, Oakland County Executive, to Representative Steve Marino, Chairman of the Committee on Commerce & Tourism of the Michigan House of Representatives, on House Bills 4729 — 4732. It states that the bills as drafted would result in significant revenue reductions for county governments, shifting the costs of maintaining Register of Deeds records onto Oakland County taxpayers. It says the Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds estimates the potential impact at approximately $500,000 - $700,000 annually. The letter also states that the bills weaken the chain of custody of property records and asks the committee to withhold further consideration until the concerns are addressed.

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COUNTY MICHIGAN OAKLAND COUNTY EXECUTIVE DAVID COULTER

May 10, 2021

Representative Steve Marino
Chairman, Committee on Commerce & Tourism
Michigan House of Representatives

Dear Chairman Marino,

On behalf of the people of Oakland County, thank you for the opportunity to share several concerns
regarding the provisions of House Bills 4729 — 4732. As currently drafted, this legislation would result in
significant revenue reductions for county governments throughout Michigan, including Oakland County.

These revenue reductions would effectively shift the statutory mandated costs of maintaining the
records of the Register of Deeds Office onto the taxpayers of Oakland County. The Oakland County
Clerk/Register of Deeds estimates the potential impact of this unfunded mandate to be approximately
$500,000 - $700,000 annually.

The taxpayers of Oakland County should not be asked to subsidize the sale of property records for the
gain of private operators, as these bills propose. In addition, these bills weaken the chain of custody of
property records with Register of Deeds offices, increasing the likelihood that consumers will be
provided misleading or outdated information.

| ask that you consider withholding further consideration on this legislation until these concerns can be
addressed.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Dave Coulter
Oakland County Executive

2100 Pontiac Lake Rd | L. Brooks Patterson Building 41W | Waterford, MI 48328 | tel (248) 858-0480 | fax (248) 452-9215 | OakGov.com


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