Delaware County Recorder Melissa Jordan, Clerk of the Courts Natalie Fravel, and Probate Judge David Hejmanowski first teamed up in 2018 with an innovative idea: Arm Delaware County residents with the basic information related to each of their respective offices that will help residents plan for the future and understand how their real property, titled vehicles and the probate court intersect.
The team has held workshops large and small throughout the county since then, often partnering with local school districts like Olentangy, Big Walnut and Delaware City. They’ve been asked multiple times to teach elected officials across the state “how to” bring this program to other counties, and have done so, with another statewide elected official training planned this spring.
The team will hold their first Good Deeds event of 2023 at SourcePoint on Thursday, Feb. 9, from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. SourcePoint is located at 800 Cheshire Road, Delaware. Interested SourcePoint members should contact SourcePoint for sign-up information by calling 740-203-2426. Space is limited.
“Good Deeds is good government,” Recorder Jordan said. “We want to improve access to the offices that the residents’ tax dollars fund while providing a tangible, real benefit. Good Deeds does that.”
The probate process itself can be time-consuming and costly, said Clerk Fravel: “Most people are surprised to learn they might have to go through the probate process over their titled vehicles. During our workshop, we cover exactly what they need to know so they can avoid probate with respect to titled vehicles.”
Judge David Hejmanowski said he provides insight into the often-confusing probate process during the workshops: “If we can simply encourage people to do simple, relatively inexpensive planning during their lifetime, then they will make the task supremely easier for their loved ones after they’re gone.”
The team is planning more events in 2023 and will publish notice of them on the Delaware County Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/DelawareCountyOhio/.
For more information, contact Recorder Melissa Jordan at mjordan@co.delaware.oh.us.