The signed budget
bill also increases the fee that a county recorder charges for
recording and indexing an instrument when using photocopying or any
similar process, from a $14 base fee plus a $14 Housing Trust Fund (HTF)
fee, to a $17 base fee plus a $17 HTF
fee. The effective date for the increase in fees is October 16, 2019.
The provision removes the $50 million cap on the amount of HTF fees that
the Treasurer of State is required to deposit annually into the Low and
Moderate Income HTF. Additionally, it eliminates
the Housing Trust Reserve Fund. Under current law, HTF fees in excess
of $50 million each year are deposited into the Reserve Fund, instead of
the Low and Moderate Income HTF.