When Theresa Santai-Gaffney ran for Schuylkill County Register of Wills in 2011, her goal was to make county records available online. In a few months, she will have achieved that goal.
"I felt as though Schuylkill County needs to be in the 21st century," Santai-Gaffney said last week. "Our ultimate goal is to better service the community."
Santai-Gaffney said her office has entered into the final stages of converting its paperwork to digital files.
The county is still determining the best way to generate revenue while granting limited free access. Santai-Gaffney said there will probably be a printing fee or a subscription available for those who access the records regularly. She hopes to have everything online within the next two months.
"It's everything that's available in the office, it's just the convenience of having it at home or at the office," Santai-Gaffney said. "It's great to actually see the books and records, but not everyone has the time."
The county bought the document management software program from PropertyInfo Corp. in October for $26,970 and started scanning the images in February. Including implementing the system, training the staff and converting the files, Santai-Gaffney said the entire process cost $40,000, which was paid for with service fees collected in the office. The county's general fund was not used for the purchase.
Schuylkill County will be one of only a handful of counties in the state with its records online. Santai-Gaffney said Schuylkill County is the ninth county to use the software from PropertyInfo.
"It gives access to the records and expiates services to better serve the community," she said.
County records go back to its incorporation in 1811.
The Schuylkill County website already offers basic access to records for the general public through the Register of Wills page. People can search marriage records and estates to see if a record exists, but can't yet view additional details or an image of the document.
The software will also allow attorneys to file petitions for probate online.
Marriage license applications are already available online and the register of wills office also recently started accepting credit cards. Checks used to be the only form of payment. The office still needs to witness the signing of a marriage certificate, which can be done in the office or through video.
Santai-Gaffney said any questions can be directed to Register of Wills office at 570-628-1382. For more information or to access the records already available, visit the Register of Wills page on the county website at www.co.schuylkill.pa.us/offices/registerofwills.