Letter: Register of Deeds opponent says six-year deficit exceeds $440,000

Note: This is a copy of a press release submitted by Bill Gallaher, who is challenging Anderson County Register of Deeds Tim Shelton in the August 7 general election. Gallaher and Shelton have had a back-and-forth debate about office finances. You can see Shelton’s press release here.

The burden on the taxpayers of Anderson County to maintain operations in the Register of Deeds Office just got heavier. The taxpayer savings account known as the Undesignated Fund Balance decreased by $92,391.20 this summer due to the Register of Deeds office excessive spending.

Bill Gallaher expressed concern that the Register of Deeds Office is heading in the wrong direction.

“This makes six straight years that our current Register of Deeds has allowed the office to be bailed out by the taxpayers,” Gallaher said. “It is an alarming amount of money that is required to subsidize the Register of Deeds Office each year.”

Tim Shelton’s Register of Deeds Office spent $92,391.20 more than the revenue his office generated in the Fiscal Year just ended June 30, 2014.

The sixth straight annual deficit in the Register of Deeds Office has brought the total burden for the six-year period to more than $440,000. The office was self-sufficient all 12 years under former Register of Deeds Rick Meredith from 1990 through 2002. Mr. Meredith expenses never exceeded his revenues in the 12 years he managed the office.

The total expenses for the Office of Register of Deeds this past year in reports provided by the Accounts and Budget Office was $392,927.14, with revenues totaling only $300,535.94. All of these budget numbers can be found on the Anderson County website at www.andersontn.org.