time for y'all to get familiar with a screen capture program such as MWsnap.... if you can see it you can copy it...
Also, to the "hebrew" statement early in the dialog, that is racist and I find it offensive...(edit: It was already removed!!! Thanks Wendell/Angel)
Mr. Griffin that is an excellent idea. I am going to suggest that in our next chapter meeting.
> a local county charges $500/yr for a disc with their gis data on it.
Now that is excessive. Do they send you monthly updates? Kind of like the old Sidwell books, but those were before the intenet existed. My guess is the county needs to invest heavily into an IT department, much of which could be funded by police & fire department dollars - in the spirit of public safety.
Before forming a club, you'd better read the terms of service very carefully. It would look bad if your organization was sued for violation of the terms.
Very little is available on-line anywhere near here. We are welcomed in every courthouse we visit. In most, we are allowed to search through anything we can find. Very reasonable copy fees for those things we need to copy. In several counties there will be more than one building involved, sometimes in different cities. In all, we must visit more than one county office.
I Think Texas' Laws Say Something Like....
(and I am paraphrasing) "Any public entity is allowed to recover its costs but is NOT allowed to make any profit on this type of action". We used to charge Joe Public $10.00 for every 24" by 36" sheet we copied and circa 1999 the State notified us that $10.00 constituted an unfair charge and to recalculate the charge to reflect costs for reproduction. We did so.
You're right Bill, but I don't think the county can issue individual "seat licenses" like many software companies do. If Disclaimer Title Co pays the fee, anybody in their office can log in. Same for Blowhard Realty Co, agents can access from office, home, even their IPhone.
Why can't Super Chapter of GA Surveyors Society do the same for it's members? Besides, just another incentive to join your chapter (another topic). Maybe lunch with the GIS guru is in order, or invite them to a chapter meeting to explain (and justify) their new rules.
Beside,s most municipal charters state that they can recover reasonable costs. Which is fine, but they can't be in the for-profit business. I know that's not realistic, but it is a very valid arguement.
I am not familiar with MWsnap, I use FastStone Capture. Same idea, the problem is on some older deeds you can't read them. Most of the deeds and plats I can capture, but I still have to print some off.
no updates, and not even a complete data set
I Think Texas' Laws Say Something Like....
Florida is much the same. The laws say that clerk's office is allowed a "reasonable fee" for things like plats, deeds, maps, etc.
I can still search for deeds on line and print out copies at no cost. Most of the local county GIS data is free as well.
I Think Texas' Laws Say Something Like....
My uncle, worked at the Nueces County Court House as an assessor.
You can buy all of the deed records, liens, deeds of trusts, and
plats for $35 if you got a terrabyte drive.
I Think Texas' Laws Say Something Like....
Nueces County includes Corpus Christi.
In Medina County Deeds never have been on line!