June 11, 2013
WHITE PLAINS, NY: The Office of the Westchester County Clerk’s successful implementation of Electronic Recording of Land Records was selected as winner of a 2013 Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties (NACo) in the category of Information Technology. This prestigious achievement award annually recognizes county governments which integrate innovative and efficient systems of government that benefit the people they serve. The Clerk’s implementation of electronic recording in Westchester County, which allows for the acceptance of land records, such as deeds and mortgages electronically, was recognized as an example of quality local government that “promotes the betterment of county services and programs”.
Westchester County Clerk Timothy Idoni remarked when notified of the award, "We are honored to receive this award from NACo in recognition of our commitment to making government easier for our customers and cost-effective for the taxpayers.” Efforts to bring electronic recording to New York State began in 2009 when Clerk Idoni was named co-chair of the eRecording Committee of the New York State Association of County Clerks (NYSACC). Idoni was the key spokesperson for legislation introduced by NYSACC which was signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo in September of 2011 and allowed electronic recording to begin in September of 2012.
The implementation of electronic recording was made possible by Idoni and his staff working with the county’s Office of Technology. As a result of this successful intra-governmental collaboration, on September 24, 2012, the Westchester County Clerk’s Office became the first recording office in New York State to record a document submitted electronically.
“The success with electronic recording is one of the several successful technology projects introduced that have moved the clerk’s office firmly into the 21st century,” stated Clerk Idoni.