Due to improvements in the management of the Davidson County Register of Deeds office, Register Karen Johnson has been able to present a total of more than $3.6 million to the Metro General Fund in a single fiscal year. That represents the largest amount given to Metro by the Register of Deeds office in more than a decade.

“Since I took office September 1, we have worked diligently to improve the way business is done in the Register of Deeds office,” Johnson said. “We have implemented better accountability and accomplished impressive cost savings. We have brought greater efficiency to the way our office is run.

“As a result, we have been able to present three checks totaling more than $3.6 million in one fiscal year to the Metro Finance Department. We are pleased to make these funds available for the General Fund.”

Mayor David Briley said: “I appreciate it whenever elected officials and department heads find ways to operate their agencies more efficiently and strengthen the bottom line for taxpayers. I’m grateful to Karen Johnson and the rest of the team at the Register of Deeds office.”

The Register of Deeds collects fees for its services and, by state law, turns over a portion of that revenue to the State of Tennessee. The remainder is used for the office’s operations, and any remaining funds are given to Metro for the General Fund. Johnson has made three such payments since she took office in September: $1 million, $1.7 million, and $939,418.

“The people of Nashville Davidson County hired me as a caretaker of some of their most important documents,” Johnson said. “We owe it to them to manage this office in an efficient, professional, and fiscally sound way.”