(Sept. 30, 2009) – The Allen County Recorder’s Office has been honored by the Association of Indiana Counties (AIC) for the creation of an online tool for solving neighborhood problems.

At its annual conference in French Lick, Ind., the AIC on Wednesday (Sept. 30) presented its County Achievement Award to the Allen County Recorder’s Office. The award recognized the Recorder’s Office for creation of its Neighborhood Resource Center web site, launched in October 2008. Among the tools offered by the web site is access to neighborhood covenants and restrictions.

“Covenant violations are perhaps the most common cause of conflicts between neighbors, yet covenants are a mystery to many property owners,” said John McGauley, Allen County Recorder. “Few people even know where to look for a copy of their covenants. We felt that free, easy-to-find online access to restrictive covenants would prove to be a proactive problem-solving tool and a way of increasing awareness of the valuable resources available in the Recorder’s Office.”

The AIC award recognizes counties that have demonstrated problem-solving capabilities above and beyond day-to-day operations. To be considered, a project must have been accomplished in cooperation with other county departments and offices. The project must also be one that could be utilized by other counties and it should offer cost savings or increased efficiency.

In the year since the Neighborhood Resource Center was launched, over 8,200 users (an average of nearly 700 users per month) have taken advantage of it. The site allows users the unlimited ability to search, download and print restrictive covenants at no cost. The Neighborhood Resource Center is available at http://www.allencountyrecorder.us/neighborhoods.

In addition to searchable access to nearly 7,700 sets of covenants and restrictions, the site also includes links to Fort Wayne, New Haven and Allen County neighborhood information, such as contact lists, meeting dates and informational resources.  Downloadable maps of the county allow users to find subdivision names and, in many cases, section numbers.

Allen County is the only county in Indiana in which this service is available.

For more information on the County Achievement Award, visit http://www.indianacounties.org.