Two Vermilion County officials are seeking the seat of Vermilion County Recorder in the March 19 primary election.
Current Recorder Dave Stone is not seeking re-election.
Running for the seat are Republicans Matthew R. Long, currently supervisor of assessments, and Cathy Moulton, currently deputy recorder.
There is as yet no Democratic opponent for the November election.
The Commercial-News sent questionnaires to the candidates.
Long, 54, of 24503 Oak Ridge Ct., Danville, is a 1987 graduate of Danville High School. Other education: U.S. Marine Corps 1987-1992; Danville Area Community College – Associate of Science Degree, 1994; and Southern Illinois University – Bachelor of Science Degree – Finance, 1996.
He has one daughter, Maci Long.
Long has been Vermilion County supervisor of assessments since 2010. He was elected to his fourth term in 2022. He also is owner/certified general real estate appraiser with Premier Appraisal Co. of Danville, Inc.
He’s also involved with the Danville Noon Kiwanis.
Moulton, 65, of 15106 Short Road, Danville, graduated from Schlarman High School. She also took a few classes at Danville Area Community College. Her maiden name is Cathy Strader. She married Les Moulton in 2005 and they have five children and six grandchildren, with everyone living in Vermilion County.
She’s worked in the Vermilion County Recorder’s office as deputy recorder for 15 years. Previously she worked at the Vermilion County Circuit Clerk’s office and was manager for Danville’s Payless ShoeSource.
She’s a member of the Vermilion County Republican Women’s Club.
1. Why did you decide to run for this office?
Long: Several years ago, the county switched to a system called MyDec. This is an electronic system hosted by the Illinois Department of Revenue and is used to record a transfer of real estate. When real estate is sold or conveyed for an amount greater than $100, a transfer declaration is made to report the sale price to the State of Illinois. The difference in the actual sale price as compared to the current assessed value is how the Department of Revenue determines when and if a township or county should be factored to get back to the statutory level of assessment of 33.33%. By using the MyDec system the county now receives the sales ratio study back from the Department of Revenue in a timelier manner and this has helped tremendously in getting the tax bills out on time.
The transfer declarations that are not done in MyDec have to be manually entered by the County Assessment Office and this requires additional time and resources. One of the first changes I would make as county recorder is to mandate the use of the MyDec system.
Moulton: Since 2007, I have built my career around serving Vermilion County as deputy recorder of deeds. As an office that is supported by the tax dollars of our residents, it is my sole professional ambition to ensure the recorder’s office continues to run smoothly and professionally as a public service to our community. If elected, I would continue building on the office’s already proven track record of providing quality customer service. I love the recorder’s office and the staff, and serving citizens as recorder of deeds would be my sole professional priority. The office houses nearly 200 years of records. The office is responsible for recording land transactions for all Vermilion County, as well as liens, mortgages and releases. We are also always happy to serve the public by helping anyone locate records, and we offer three computer search stations in the research room. I enjoy interacting with and serving our community members. I have had the privilege of working with and learning from our last three recorder of deeds, Barbara Young, Thomas O’Shaughnessy and David Stone.
2. What do you consider to be the most important issues concerning this office?
Moulton: During my time as a deputy recorder, the office has made technological advances, and I plan to continue making records as accessible as possible. As the keeper of public records, it is always a priority to ensure citizens are able to easily access and research our files. We currently use three different companies with our “E-Recording” system, and we are up-to-date with recording technology. We also meet with our vendor, Fidlar Technologies, multiple times each year to ensure that our systems are running properly.
The current team at the recorder’s office is doing a great job. We work well together and with our customers. We have a reputation as a reliable office. I also realize that as technology continues to advance, there will always be ways to consider enhancing this already efficient office. As recorder, I will strive to make sure we continue offering great customer service and the best tools we possibly can for Vermilion County.
Long: The most pressing issue with the recording of deeds is the compliance with the Illinois Plat Act. This is a somewhat complex and complicated law that deals with dividing land into smaller parcels. Often referred to the five-acre plat act, there are many exceptions to having to comply with this law and most are often misunderstood. Compliance with the act can add more expense to the real estate transaction but it is in place primarily to protect the buyer and prevent more costly issues that can occur if things like access for ingress and egress are not addressed when the deed is recorded. As county recorder my goal would be to adopt a county plat ordinance that would better protect buyers and require that any split of land would have to be approved by a county plat officer. I think these duties of this new position should be added to the County Recorder’s Office. This would require the ability to read and understand legal descriptions and ensure compliance with both state and local laws regarding the dividing of land and the development of subdivision in Vermilion County. Given my experience as the county assessor and as a real estate appraiser, I possess the needed skills that this would require.