From staff reports
Even with revenue falling substantially in the office the second half of 2022, Clarion County register and recorder Greg Mortimer has announced his office handed over its 35th annual surplus to the county treasury last year.
“Rising interest rates and fewer deaths as a result of a waning COVID-19 pandemic saw a big decline in the number of deeds, mortgages and probated estates filed in the office as compared to the sharp increases in these items in 2021,” Mortimer said.
He added that county revenue collected by the office was down 11% from the record $315,855.36 in 2021 to $280,303.80 in 2022. But office expenditures amounting to $237,097.16 still allowed the office surplus to total $43,206.64 for the past year, he said.
He also said there were 374 register of wills and clerk of orphans’ court filings last year, a slight decrease from the 415 openings as a result of the increased deaths caused by the pandemic in 2021.
And marriage license applications jumped slightly to 249 in 2022 compared to 243 in 2021 and up dramatically from the pandemic low of 211 in 2020, Mortimer said.
Total collections in the office for 2022 (with 2021 collections listed in parenthesis) included:
Clarion County General Fund — $280,303.80 ($315,855.36)
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania — $179,586.00 ($213,343.75)
Clarion County Recorders Improvement Fund — $13,371.00 ($16,350.00)
Registers/Clerks Automation Fund — $2,685.00 ($2,910.00)
Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax Collections — $3,384,343.12 ($4,105,894.58)
Pennsylvania Realty Transfer Tax Collections — ($991,451.10 ($1,153,728.78)
Local School Realty Transfer Tax Collections — $516,929.29 ($590,480.22)
Boro/Township Realty Transfer Tax Collections —$480,887.54 ($565,077.97)
Act 34 Adoption Fund — $1,275.00 ($2,250.00)