HARNETT COUNTY – Matthew S. Willis, Harnett County Register of Deeds, has formally announced his intentions to seek a second term in office. Mr. Willis, 42, is a lifelong citizen of Harnett County and was first elected to office in 2020. Mr. Willis is a member of the Harnett County Republican Party.
“Since being sworn into office in December, 2020, I have worked extremely hard to cut costs in the office while still providing the best customer service to the citizens of Harnett County. I consider this office to be the people’s office and we are here to serve our citizens in any way we can,” Willis stated.
“One of the biggest accomplishments so far was researching and selecting a software vendor that would meet the needs of what we are required to do in the office. After careful research and numerous demonstrations from vendors, I selected a company based in North Carolina. This company offers a variety of services allowing me to streamline processes in the office. With this new vendor, we have also been able offer a new fraud notification system to the citizens of Harnett County. This is a notification system that will alert you anytime anything is recorded under your name. This is a free service offered to anyone living or doing business in Harnett County.”
The savings from this transition is about $45,000 a year.
Another project that the office has been working on during the past three years is restoration and preservation of Harnett County’s original paper records.
“These paper records are the original history of Harnett County. This is something that I take great pride in doing so that anyone that would like to see the original records, will be able to do so for many years to come. This is the history of Harnett County. By using an automation fund, along with grants from the State of North Carolina, I have been able to continue restoration and preservation of the records without passing the bill to the taxpayers,” stated Willis.
“I look forward to being able to continue the work that I have been doing over the past 3 years in the office. I have worked extremely hard to put together a team that has the same beliefs as I do when it comes to assisting the public. Everyone in my office fully understands we are here to assist the citizens and we all take great pride in that. I have an amazing team in the Register of Deeds office.”
Mr. Willis has been married to Amy Watson Willis for over 16 years and has two children, Becca, 11, and Hayes, 7. He is the son of Henry and Lisa Willis of Dunn and Terry and Duane Oxendine of Wilmington, NC.
