Bob Nolte is the recorder of deeds for Boone County.
Please give us a brief description of your position and responsibilities. The recorder of deeds is an elected official responsible for maintaining and preserving important public records dating back to 1821. These records include items such as real estate documents, marriage licenses, and military discharge papers. The majority of what we record relates to real estate, including documents such as property deeds (which transfer ownership), deeds of trust (which document mortgages), easements (which grant use of part of a property), and plats (which map out property lines in subdivisions). These documents are typically submitted by businesses such as title companies or banks.
Most other visitors to the recorder’s office are here for something related to a marriage license, either to apply for one before their wedding or to request a certified copy of an existing license. Lately, we’ve seen a surge in requests for certified copies, especially from people needing documentation of a name change when applying for a REAL ID.
The recorder’s office has also been able to help thousands of Boone County seniors identify the correct documents they need to show proof of ownership when applying for the Senior Real Estate Property Tax Relief program that started last year.
People probably tend to identify your office with property deeds, so let’s start there. What’s the process of recording a property deed, and why is that important? Recording deeds is what notifies both the public and the county of who owns what pieces of property. The records kept in this office form the basis of the assessment and taxation process. For most people, the document itself is generally created by an attorney or a title company, but you are also able to write out your own deeds if you feel comfortable doing so. With real estate being such an important and valuable asset, we recommend working with a competent attorney when recording documents that could affect the title to your property.
When presented, documents must meet a standard format for our office to accept them and must be notarized. If a document is presented in-person, we’ll process and scan the document in front of you and return the original document to you immediately. If submitted by mail, we’ll record the document the day we receive it and mail the original back the next day. The county assessor will receive copies of all documents filed and update the assessment rolls as needed.
What did you want to be when you were growing up, and when did you find your career path? Predictably, when thinking about what I wanted to be growing up, county recorder was not on the list. In eighth grade, I wanted to be a sports agent, so I thought law school was in my future. I went to undergrad to study film production and left with a history degree, planning to be a teacher and coach. I was lucky to have great mentors who thought my skills could be used in college athletics administration, so I went to obtain a master’s degree at the University of Southern California. At one point, I thought I was going to be an athletics director.
While at Mizzou, I had the privilege to work for long-time Athletics Director Mike Alden. Over time, though, I realized that being an AD was no longer my ultimate goal. When the opportunity came to take the skills I had developed working in compliance and transfer them over to a new role leading the recorder’s office, I jumped at the chance to serve the people of Boone County in this way.
Tell us about your work experience prior to your current position. Before being elected Boone County recorder, I spent almost ten years at Mizzou in the athletic compliance office. Eventually, I worked my way up and was promoted to assistant director of compliance for education. From my experience in compliance, I honed my ability to interpret statutory requirements, implement policies and procedures to ensure the requirements are applied correctly, and ensure the organization maintains high ethical standards.
What influenced you to seek an elected office, and why recorder of deeds? Running for office was not something I was ever planning to do, but I think I got extremely lucky to find a position that perfectly matched my experience, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to serve in this capacity. Additionally, I have my friend Jennifer to thank for suggesting this role may be a good fit for me.
As I learned more about the recorder’s office and met with former recorder Bettie Johnson, I immediately saw the connection between my experience in compliance and the skills necessary to serve as recorder. When I first set foot in the climate-controlled vault and was able to hold those over 100-year-old historical documents in my hand, I knew I wanted the job of protecting them. As I ran for office, which is the strangest, longest job interview of my life, my campaign focused on educating people about why the recorder’s office is important.
Let’s get the day started. What is your wake-up time and your morning routine — your “getting ready for the day” routine? My alarm is set for 5:50 a.m. Three days a week, I play racquetball at MizzzouRec, so I rush to eat some breakfast (a banana, oatmeal, and some coffee) before heading off to the gym.
When does your workday start, and what are the first things on a typical daily to-do list? When our office opens at 8 a.m., we generally don’t have a line of people beating down our door, so we start by addressing any recordings that are submitted electronically (e-recording) overnight. Then, throughout the day, we will work with customers who call, email, or come to the office needing assistance. More documents come in the mail throughout the day, and we also issue marriage licenses and certified copies for walk-in customers. One of the local title companies comes in twice a day to record, and we know we’re going to have to process multiple documents at that point.
When not working with a customer or indexing the current day’s recordings, the staff is working on indexing older documents so they can be searched online. We are currently back to the early 1960s for deeds. We’re working our way backwards to have more documents available online within our search system each day.
Describe something that might have been a distraction and how you deal with those moments. Not necessarily a distraction in a bad way, but in this job, I have found we are usually going to get one or two good questions a day that take a little more time to review and can interrupt other tasks I had planned to address that day. For me, it is more important to take time to help the public than to stick to a rigid schedule for my to-do list.
You’ve already addressed your office’s role in recording real estate documents. But there are also marriage licenses, military discharge records, tax liens, wills, and other documents that require an official record. Tell us about some of those. For many people, the only time they come to the recorder’s office is to apply for a marriage license. Generally, people getting married are in a good mood, and our staff can get the license process completed in about ten to fitteen minutes. When I took office, one of the first things I added was an online application that those getting married can start at home, before coming in to sign.
One of the other incredibly important types of documents I am charged with protecting is military discharge records. Commonly referred to as a DD214 form, our office will record the discharge records for service members and provide certified copies, all without charge. Recording a military discharge can be helpful, allowing the service member to provide those needing proof of military service with a certified copy of the document, instead of the original. I encourage all those who served to bring in their discharge records to be recorded.
We’re told that the recorder’s office has some of the oldest documents in the county and that they are stored in a climate-controlled area. What documents are those? The deed records start right at the beginning of the county in 1821. The first entry, in Book A, page 1, was the commission of Roger North Todd as the first circuit clerk of Boone County. At this time the circuit clerk also performed the duties of the recorder, so it is only appropriate to start with Mr. Todd’s commission, then oath of office and bond as the first things to be recorded. After Mr. Todd’s documents come the commission, oath, and bond for the first sheriff. By page 4, the first deed is recorded, transferring 320 acres from Taylor and Fanny Berry to Jessee Copher (or Coopher). From then on, every recorded transfer is in our records. Every deed that is recorded is entered into an index so the location of the document can be found by searching either the grantor’s name (the person giving the land), or the grantee’s name (the person receiving the land). The deed books and indexes from 1821 through 1959 are stored in a climate-controlled area and kept under a fire suppression system. We also have microfilm and digital scans of all deed books, and they are backed up in multiple places.
So what time is lunch? What are you having, or where might you eat? Most of the time, lunch is right around noon. I do most of the cooking at home, so lunch is usually leftovers from last night’s dinner. But I also love working downtown. It is wonderful to be able to be so close to so many great restaurants. I think Endwell opening up next door to my office has definitely added a bit to my waistline. That’s also not to mention all the other great places so close, such as Delia’s, Ernie’s, Pizza Tree, and Goldie’s, to name a few.
Tell us about your team and your staff’s areas of expertise. I am so lucky to have an amazing team that works with me in the recorder’s office. Combined, our staff has over eighty years of experience serving Boone County. All of the staff are cross-trained in the areas we cover, so anyone will be able to help you, whether your question is related to recording real estate documents, marriage licenses, tax liens, or anything else in our department.
What time is your workday over? Our office closes to the public at 5 p.m. We will go through our security backup process before we head out for the day, to ensure everything recorded that day is backed up in multiple places. After that, I’m on to whatever other activity I have that night, be it coming home to cook dinner or attending a community activity.
What’s your favorite food for dinner? Who will you share that meal with? As the weather has been getting nicer, I am able to grill more often. It’s hard to beat a great steak, grilled to perfection. Of course, my favorite person to share it with is my chief taste tester — my wife, Kate.
What do you do to unwind in the evening, and when is it “lights out” time? After dinner, Kate and I will take a walk through the neighborhood, I’ll play guitar, or we will watch TV. My goal is to be in bed by 9:30 p.m. and then try to stay off my phone by playing some pen-and-paper sudoku, before I fall asleep hopefully before 10 p.m.
What keeps you up at night? I think the scariest thing that could happen to someone related to my office is losing their home to a criminal through deed fraud. While it is rare, there have been increasing instances nationwide of criminals attempting to change the ownership of a property without the real owner’s knowledge or consent. Unfortunately, the recorder’s office is often the place where these fraudulent documents are submitted.
In order to combat deed fraud, the recorder’s office provides all Boone Countians with access to a free alert system. Once you sign up (deedwatch.boonemo.org), you will receive an alert if a document is filed in your name. If there is a fraudulent document filed, early detection is the key to solving the issue quickly.
