SIDNEY — 2020 was a very busy year for the Title Office. Due to COVID-19 the Shelby County Title Office was one of only a few title offices in Ohio that remained open to the public throughout the pandemic as essential workers.
“To help stop the spread of COVID-19 our office implemented several precautionary measures. The deputy clerks began right away, disinfecting all surfaces and sanitizing all pens that are used by our customers. We also limited the number of customers in the office to 3 at a time and asked that all customers waiting in line social distance. It was also recommended that everyone wear a mask when entering the title office, including our Deputy Clerks. We also provided hand sanitizer at every station in the office,” said Shelby County Clerk of Courts Michele Mumford.
Ger report continues:
A glass barrier was installed in July to help protect our customers and staff, which has been a crucial step in preventing the spread of the disease. As time has gone by we have raised the number of customers allowed in the office to 5. We are still disinfecting surfaces and asking for our customers to social distance and wear a mask.
Besides the pandemic, the title office has had many other changes to address in 2020. In February a new ODNR watercraft registration system was installed. The Deputy Clerks were able to train for the new system ahead of time, so its implementation went into effect seamlessly. The new system allows the Deputy Clerks to search the ODNR database for owner information, as well as Hull Identification numbers and title information. It has made the registration process much more efficient and saves time for our customers.
In June 2020, the Ohio Department of State installed new computers. They are used for title issuance and watercraft registrations. The computers are updated occasionally to be compliant with the newest version of Windows.
The Title office processed 21653 Vehicles titles, including duplicates, salvage, liens and memos. We also processed 577 Watercraft Titles, including duplicates, liens and memos. Watercraft registration fees collected $29,273. We distributed $26,294 to ODNR with $2,979 staying in the county and distributed to the General Fund. The Title Office collected $4,541,743.40 in tax revenue for the State of Ohio. The Title office also processed 153 passport applications as an acceptance agency. This amounted to $5,355 being sent to the General Fund for Shelby County. Due to Covid-19, people were not traveling nearly as much in 2020.
My Legal office has also been impacted by the Covid-19 virus. The benefits of E-filing were definitely revealed as Courthouse access is still modified to visitors. The number of civil cases opened in 2020 were 241, domestic cases was 270, criminal 333, judgment liens 1625. We processed 20,922 e-filings. My Legal Office Deputy Clerks processed 69,092 entries.
January 27, 2021 I will be sworn in as the Vice President of the Ohio Council of County Officials (OCCO). This will be a 2 year term. The OCCO is comprised of 10 different elected officials associations. The main purpose of the organization is to unite in a joint effort to promote sound, efficient, and fiscally responsible governance, while maintaining sufficient checks and balances within the county government structure.
The year 2020 will go down in history as a very trying year in many ways, but as your Clerk of Courts, I am honored to serve this great Shelby County through good times and tough times. My staff and I thank you for your patience as we maneuvered through some uncharted territory in 2020. We are here to serve our community the best way possible.
