AREA FOURTH GRADERS PROMOTE ATLANTIC COUNTY GOVERNMENT IN
POSTER CONTEST AWARD CEREMONY

Atlantic County Clerk Edward P. McGettigan has announced the winners of the Annual Atlantic County Constitutional Officer's Poster Contest.

Billy Potts, a Fourth Grade Student at the Dawes Avenue School in Somers Point, was awarded First Place Honors. The contest was sponsored by County Clerk Ed McGettigan, County Sheriff James McGettigan, and County Surrogate James Carney to observe County Government Week which ran from April 6, 2008 to April 12, 2008.

The Second Place Honor was presented to Genna Tatu, also from Dawes Avenue School, and Third Place Honors went to Emily Angello from St. Joseph's Elementary School in Hammonton. Atlantic County Clerk McGettigan presented plaques to the winners in an award ceremony at the County Library in Mays Landing on Friday April 11, 2008.

Fourth Graders from all over Atlantic County were invited to create posters which depicted the special and unique qualities about Atlantic County and how these qualities relate to the services provided by county government.

COUNTY CLERK NOTIFIED OF U.S. PASSPORT FEE INCREASE
EFFECTIVE FEBRUARY 1, 2008

Atlantic County Clerk Edward P. McGettigan was notified by the United States Department of State of a pending fee increase for the issuance of U.S. Passports effective February 1, 2008.

"It is my intention, especially in light of new federal laws which now require the possession of a U.S. Passport for many regions and territories in the Western Hemisphere, that all Atlantic County residents   get an opportunity to save a few dollars before this increase goes into effect" said McGettigan.

The fee increase for a first time Passport is approximately three dollars. The fee will increase from $97 to $100 for individuals 16 and over. The fee for minors 15 and under will increase from $82 to $85. “These increases can certainly add up fast, especially for large families who all need passports” added McGettigan.

The fee for an Adult Passport Renewal by Mail (for those who are eligible for this process by using Form DS-82) will increase from $67 to $75, is the most significant fee change.

Call the County Clerk's Office at (609) 641-7867 for additional information.

COUNTY CLERK McGETTIGAN WARNS OF LIKELY SCAM REGARDING
“DEED COPY LETTERS” SENT TO ATLANTIC COUNTY HOMEOWNERS

Atlantic County Clerk Edward P. McGettigan warned residents last month of a potential scam involving residents being contacted by mail by a private company encouraging homeowners to purchase a certified copy of their property deed at an extremely exorbitant cost.

McGettigan was notified by letter from the Office of the Attorney General Division of Consumer Affairs about this situation.

Atlantic County Clerk McGettigan is now in possession of several letters from a company called “National Deed Service, Inc.” from Washington, D.C. which has been sent to many homeowners in Atlantic County.

In the letter, homeowners are “encouraged” to purchase a certified copy of their property deed for $70 (Seventy Dollars) or more. The County Clerk would like the public to know that they can obtain a copy of their deed promptly and directly from the Atlantic County Clerk’s Office, without the “assistance” of any private company for an average of $20 or less.

The County Clerk’s Office spoke to the Washington, D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs and was informed that there is no such Corporation registered in Washington. Phone calls made to this company have been answered by voice mail only. Additionally the Clerk’s Office has found information on this private company’s website which is misleading and incorrect.

The Atlantic County Clerk’s Office has notified the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, The NJ Office of Consumer Protection, the County law Department and Division of Consumer Affairs about this situation.

Please contact the Atlantic County Clerk’s Office if you receive one of these letters.

CLERK IMPLEMENTS SHARED SERVICES TO MUNICIPALITIES
PUBLIC SAFETY, LAW OFFICIALS AND ENGINEERS OFFICES

Mays Landing NJ- Atlantic County Clerk Edward P. McGettigan announced today that all public records available on-line will be provided without charge to Atlantic County municipalities. Those records include all real estate transaction documents such as deeds and mortgages recorded at the County Clerk’s Office as well as major and minor subdivision maps.  

Property transaction records are useful to many municipal departments such as tax assessors and tax collectors. The records are also available to local public safety departments and law enforcement. Other County offices such as the Atlantic County Prosecutor and the Department of Regional Planning and Economic Development already share the Clerk’s database.

“The Clerk’s Office is pro-active in researching and developing technology that will benefit all governments in Atlantic County,” McGettigan said. McGettigan pointed out that the Clerk’s Office database with document images has already reduced the need for paper storage within the office and should have a similar effect on the municipal offices which store copies of these documents.

County Clerk McGettigan said that one very important benefits of his program for improving the technical infrastructure of the office is the ability to share services with local governments. He added that many of the improvements in the County Clerk’s Office have been largely supported by public grants.

McGettigan said that sharing government services has become an important objective in New Jersey to offset rising property taxes on all levels. He added that he expected the Clerk’s Office to continue to increase its ability to share services with local governments in the future as new applications are found.  

“The free flow of information between departments and all levels of government is vital,” McGettigan said, “Especially in a time when both increased speed and lowering costs are so critical to the safety and well being of our citizens.”  

Internet access to property records was recently offered commercially to Title Companies and financial institutions by the Clerk’s Office.  The Clerk’s Office has been aggressively pursuing technology to reduce the need for paper copies and to improve access to the public.  Those initiatives have included the implementation of computer systems to accommodate scanning documents, off-site electronic storage, and internet access as well as “electronic recording”, a process for recording deeds and mortgages with the Clerk’s Office via the internet.

Limited access to land documents is currently available to the general public at the Clerk’s Office website, www.atlanticcountyclerk.org. The public can view the index and first pages of selected deeds or mortgages, but cannot access entire documents without first opening an account with the Clerk’s Office.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: 609-641-7867

COUNTY CLERK ED McGETTIGAN PROMOTING "COUNTY GOVERNMENT DAY"
AT THE HAMILTON MALL IN MAYS LANDING ON APRIL 25, 2007

COUNTY CLERK ED McGETTIGAN PUTS RECORDS ON-LINE

Atlantic County Clerk Ed McGettigan today announced the availability of real estate transaction records via the internet. Deeds, mortgages, and other transaction documents will be searchable and, if previously scanned, viewable and printable on home and office computers. The Clerk’s Office has been scanning documents since March, 2000 and has begun a back-imaging program to scan older documents to make them available on the internet as well.

McGettigan said that a State grant, funded by fees collected by Clerk’s Offices, known as the P.A.R.I.S. grants awards supported the project with a grant of $165,000 P.A.R.I.S. stands for the Public Archives and Records Infrastructure Support grants program and has also funded the Clerk’s Office’s off-site, duplicate computer server. McGettigan added that the duplicate server not only provides for the immediate recovery of vital records of Atlantic County residents in case of a disaster, but also provides a safe site for internet viewing of those records.

“Since the public will be viewing records through a duplicate server and database, not the actual County records, tampering or ‘hacking’ of the original records is not possible,” McGettigan said. The duplicate server is updated on a daily basis with all new transactions.

He also indicated that the service is intended primarily for real estate professionals such as Title Searchers and others involved in the mortgage or credit industry. He said that the availability of the service should eventually have a dramatic effect on the banking industry as well as the general public by reducing the time it takes for mortgage settlements.

Currently, the general public can search the County’s database index and view the first page of scanned documents at the County Clerk’s website, www.atlanticcountyclerk.org. In order to view entire documents and print them from home or office, individuals or companies will be required to open an account with the Clerk’s Office with a deposit of $500.00 from which copy charges will be deducted.

McGettigan added that there are other programs in the works which are funded by the P.A.R.I.S. grants, such as a pilot program currently underway for the E-recording (electronic recording) of deeds and mortgages by Title Companies, which not only increase efficiency and further reduce settlement times, but will ultimately lead to paperless real estate documents.

Please click here for a fact sheet of changes made to the U.S. Passport Requirement.