LGC: Wayne Register of Deeds violated General Statute, failed to remit payment to state

Less than a month after a local resident submitted a sprawling complaint against Register of Deeds Constance Coram to District Attorney Matthew Delbridge, the Wayne County Board of Commissioners, the Secretary of State’s Office and various other state and local agencies, the Local Government Commission has notified county officials, in writing, that Coram is in violation of General Statutes 161-11.5 and 161-10(a)(1).

The letter, obtained by the New Old North via a records request, is dated Sept. 7 and states that the Register of Deeds has failed to remit required payments for July 2021 to the State Treasurer.

“As you know, NC GS 161-11.5 requires that six dollars and twenty cents ($6.20) of each fee collected by the register of deeds under G.S. 161-10(a)(1) and (a)(1a) should be remitted by the register of deeds to the county finance officer, who shall then remit the funds to the State Treasurer on a monthly basis,” the letter reads. “As of the date of this letter, we have not yet received the required report or the transfer of funds for July 2021, which according to our published procedure we should have received by the 10th of the following month.”

The document arrived in Wayne County less than a month after local resident Linda Jordan alleged that Coram has violated General Statute dozens of times since being sworn in and should, therefore, be removed from office.

“I am very concerned that the integrity of this office and the safe keeping of these public documents are in jeopardy under Ms. Coram’s leadership, or better yet, lack of,” Jordan wrote. “Ms. Coram was sworn in on Dec 14, 2020. At that time there were about 330 records not released with a release time of 3 days past presentation. Currently there are about 3,000 records not released with a release time of 58 days past presentation.”

She then cited G.S. 161-27, which states, “If any register of deeds fails to perform any of the duties imposed or authorized by law, he shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor, and he shall be removed from office.”

Commissioners met in a lengthy executive session Wednesday to discuss “the performance of a public official” and “to preserve attorney/client privilege.”

The last time the commissioners came out of one of those extended executive sessions, they immediately voted on two issues concerning Coram.