The operations of the County Recorder are all specified by and required by state law. The Recorder is elected to a four-year term. He/she records documents and maps and also maintains cross-reference indexes to these records. The office provides for the subsequent retrieval of records for public viewing and produces copies and certifications of the records. A set of maps or "plats" are kept up to date which show the current ownership of every tract of land in the county. The ownership of real property is responsible for taxes assessed. The Assessor bases his work upon the information turned over to that office by the Recorder, and in turn the Treasurer collects taxes which are assessed. Therefore it is the responsibility of the Recorder to ensure that the records accurately reflect the status of each parcel in the county.