Recorder of Deeds Director Retires

Published on October 19, 2020

After 21 years of serving the people of Jackson County, Bob Kelly is retiring as Director of the Recorder of Deeds Department.

Bob served Jackson County in various management positions during his career. From 1999 to 2002 he was Manager of Operations overseeing Corrections, Parks + Rec and Public Works departments. In 2003 he was appointed the director of the Recorder of Deeds Department and the Jackson County Records Center.

Over the past seventeen years his department has led all other Missouri Recorder of Deeds offices in electronic recording of land-related instruments, issuance of marriage licenses, creation of a variety of searchable database index options and providing both the general public and business community free-of-charge web-based search capabilities for land and marriage document access.

During his career, Bob has served as a board member for the National Association of Counties, Missouri Association of Counties, the International Association of Government Officials, Property Records Industry Association, and the Recorders Association of Missouri. He has served for the past two years as the Recorders Association of Missouri’s Chairman of the Emerging Issues Committee and member of the By-Laws, Conference and Legislative Committees.

Bob’s desire for continuous improvement, with the support of his fellow departmental associates, helped in the elimination of the three-day waiting period for marriage applicants, the creation of a single state-wide portal for the submission and recording of documents and the creation of the metro area’s first Civil Union Registry. These combined efforts have resulted in Jackson County becoming one of the first U.S. counties to implement E-recording and enabled the creation of a web-based application allowing the public and business community the ability to search more than sixty years of land-related documents and all marriage licenses and plats dating back to the beginning of Jackson County government in 1826.

County Executive Frank White, Jr., presents Bob Kelly with a plaque honoring his retirement.

Legislative Chair Theresa Cass Galvin presents Bob Kelly with a resolution honoring his retirement.