Chancery Clerk’s Office Sees Benefits Of Going Digital

GOLDEN TRIANGLE, Miss. (WCBI)- The Oktibbeha County Chancery Clerk’s Office is one of the latest to utilize electronic filing of court records.

Anything from land records to court records can now be accessed online.

Ever since Oktibbeha County Chancery Clerk Sharon Livingston began serving in the interim position, she saw the benefits of going digital.

“In the past, when a customer would come in to have something recorded, they would have to leave it and then come back within a day or two because we had to scan the document on what we call minute paper, and then run it in the deed book and the mortgage book, which can take some time to do,” said Livingston.

Docket books that were used in the past can be pretty expensive, which is another reason why Livingston wanted to digitize public records.

“Well you save a lot for the taxpayers,” Livingston explained. “Our docket books that we have for chancery court, just one of those books cost about $900, and then we have to run the orders and stuff in the minute books, those average anywhere from $400 to $500. We’ve saved a lot of money for the taxpayers of Oktibbeha County.”

Going digital also helps cut down on the wait time for those who come in looking to access certain documents and records.

Now, eight months later into the switch, Livingston aid it’s making things easier, faster, and more convenient for everyone.

“Everybody wants everything fast,” said Livingston. “You’ve got to keep up and go digital.”

Lowndes County Chancery Clerk Cindy Goode echoes that same message.

“Digital is the way to go, yes,” Goode expressed.

It was in 2002 when Lowndes County decided to go digital.

Goode said her office is definitely seeing the benefits.

“It’s just keeping up with the times basically, and making it easier for the general public to search the records, also for any of our banks that need to search the land records, or real estate agents that need to,” said Goode. “Instead of running out to the courthouse and getting the copy of the deed, if it was recorded from 2002 up till today, they’re able to access that online.”

Now that everything is done online that means people can even access the documents from their home.

The Lowndes County Chancery Clerk’s Office and Oktibbeha County Chancery Clerk’s Office have web links where the public can view public records online.