Jury Reiterates Its Criticism of Recorder : Investigation: Report says money to update filing system has gone unused. Recorder Lee Branch says concerns are being addressed.

Reiterating claims of mismanagement in the Orange County recorder’s office, a grand jury study has found that the office has relied on an antiquated hand-filing system while failing to use millions in available funds to update the vast record-keeping network.

In a recent report, grand jurors said county services provided to local businesses and residents were delayed up to six weeks because administrators did not make timely improvements with $8 million held in reserve accounts.

The six-page report made no mention of sexual harassment and other complaints made by employees against Recorder Lee A. Branch, which led to his unprecedented censure by the Board of Supervisors in January.

Grand jury officers could not be reached for comment Monday, but Branch said he expects the jury to issue a second report dealing exclusively with the harassment complaints.

A separate county investigation completed in January found that Branch’s office romance with and favored treatment of supervisor Nancy L. Smith created such a hostile work environment that nine employees sought medical treatment for stress and depression.

The January county probe also stated that there was evidence to support allegations that Branch had made lewd comments to a female employee and made sexual advances to another. In the same review, officials also criticized Branch’s management style as “haphazard and incomplete.”

Branch said Monday that he has provided information to the Orange County district attorney’s office, which has been aiding the grand jury in its review of the harassment allegations.

“I have nothing to hide,” Branch said. “I hope (the second report) comes out before the election so it will show how baseless these complaints really are.”

Branch, 57, has held the office since 1978 and is seeking reelection in the June 7 primary. The longtime recorder has said the investigation of his office has been part of a political “hidden agenda” to remove him from office to make room for a favored candidate, County Clerk Gary Granville.

The most recent grand jury report expressed continued concern for a lack of equipment modernization within an office that receives and files 3,000 to 4,000 documents a day. The documents, for the most part, relate to local real estate transactions, birth and death certificates and marriage licenses.

A large amount of the filing work continues to be done by hand, the report found.

“Although millions of dollars are being held in reserve in the Orange County treasurer’s office, the system has not been updated and services to citizens and the business community continue to be delayed,” the report said.

Jurors also said that no written plan exists for a technical renovation of office operations.

But Branch said nearly all of the problems identified by the grand jury had either been resolved or were being addressed.

Branch said part of the $8-million reserve fund has been used to establish computer terminals in the county’s 26 branch libraries, where residents can get information about marriage licenses, birth records and death certificates.

The recorder said much of the money was not spent because it was unclear how much it was going to cost to provide more room for computer equipment to convert the filing process to an automated system. Branch said the additional space was only recently approved at a cost of nearly $3 million.

“I’m not putting the grand jury down, but we’ve already been doing some of these things,” Branch said. “I am glad to cooperate with them.”