County of Bradford
WILLIAM T. MCNETT                                       JONATHAN P. 
FOSTER
ROBERT P. HORTON                                        County 
Solicitor
RICHARD A. EATON
County Commissioners                                    GARY L. WOOD
                                                        Chief Clerk
                        Commissioners' Office
                            Court house
                        TOWANDA, PA. 18848
                      TELEPHONE: 717-265-5700
                        February 21, 1992
Justice Department
Civil Rights Division
P.O. Box 66118
Washington, D.C. 20035
Dear Sirs:
        I am a County Commissioner in Pennsylvania and our courthouse 
contains several county offices, among which is the office of "Register 
and Recorder." Within the Register and Recorder's office are the bound 
books of real property deeds. These books are of the standard size and 
weight. They are heavy (about 20 pounds) and they are cumbersome to 
handle.
        We have a county resident who, as a child, lost an arm in a 
farming accident. He is now a leading attorney and has handled these 
record books for the past 15 years while searching titles. He has just 
threatened bringing suit against the county under the Americans with 
Disabilities Act claiming that our records should be transformed into 
electronic data so that he can look at records without handling the 
record books. Our county staff has been directed to offer assistance to 
the attorney, but this does not satisfy him.
        My question is: Does the Justice Department expect local 
government to incur the tremendous expense involved in transforming all 
written records into electronic data?
                                        Sincerely,
                                        William T. Mc Nett, Chairman
                                        Bradford County Commissioners
WTM/ljm
01-01476