March 29, 2024

From the Clerk's Office

Special Town Election is July 15th!

Posted

Hello All ~ Happy July. I can’t believe we are more than half way through 2014. I also can’t believe a full year has passed since I became your Town Clerk. I have to say . . . time sure does fly when you are having fun!!! I am definitely having fun and absolutely love being your Town Clerk. Thank you for an exciting, interesting, challenging, and informative year.

As you know, one of my goals was to make the Clerk’s office more accessible to the public. On June 12, 2014, Lynn and I were faced with a dilemma. There was an elections workshop on the upcoming Primary, State Election, and new election laws presented by Michelle K. Tassinari, Director and Legal Counsel – Massachusetts Secretary of State’s Office – Election Bureau that we both should attend; however, we did not want to close the office. As a result, I asked retired Town Clerk, Kathleen Conti, if she would like to run the Clerk’s office while we were at the workshop. Kathy generously agreed, and opened the office for business that day – thank you so much Kathy! I am pleased to say the Clerk’s office remained open, residents received the services they needed, and Lynn and I were able to attend the elections workshop, which will benefit us all. It was a win for the town, a win for Kathy, and win for Lynn and I.

6-30-14 – SPECIAL TOWN MEETING & 7-15-14 - SPECIAL ELECTION

262 voters attended the Monday, June 30, 2014, Special Town Meeting at the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School where we voted on a 90-Day Fiscal Year 2015 budget. The Town voted to approve the motion: “To raise and appropriate, by taxation, the sum of $3,009,287.00 to defray expenses of the Town for the first ninety (90) days of Fiscal Year 2015, said interim appropriation being required to fund Town government in advance of a vote on an operating override, provided that, in the event that said override is approved by the voters, the contingent budget approved under Article 2 of the 2014 Annual Town Meeting will supersede the temporary budget approved.”

If the override is not approved, voters will be asked to return to another Special Town Meeting session, either on Monday, August 11th or Monday, August 18th, to decide where to make the necessary cuts in the FY2015 Budget.

The second order of the evening was Article 2 – Chapter E Zoning Bylaws Floodplain District – 4.4(b) District Delineation & Article 4.4 (c) Use Regulations. The Town voted unanimously to approve the amended Chapter E of the Zoning Bylaws (amendments to the Floodplain District) as detailed in the printed warrant, which Town Residents received on June 14, 2014. There being no further business, the June 30, 2014 Special Town Meeting was adjourned at 7:27 p.m. Regarding the 6-30-14 STM, I would like to personally thank all the Town Hall employees who helped Lynn and I batch the June 30th warrants so we could get them out in the mail by the deadline. Your help is greatly appreciated ~ thank you all, what a great team!!!

The next big milestone is the upcoming Special Proposition 2½ Override Election scheduled for Tuesday, July 15, 2014 from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The single ballot question is:
Question No. 1
Shall the Town of Rehoboth be allowed to assess an additional $1,658,740 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of funding the general operations of Town Government for Fiscal Year 2015? Yes (or) No
If you are unavailable to vote on Tuesday, July 15th, please request an absentee ballot and let your voice be heard. Absentee ballot applications are available online at
http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepdf/absentee_ballot.pdf
Absentee Ballot Applications are also available at the Blanding Library, Post Office, and Senior Center in addition to Town Hall. If you decide to come to Town Hall to complete your absentee ballot application, you may also vote and seal your ballot in an envelope to be opened and processed on July 15th. The deadline to file an absentee ballot application is Monday, July 14th @ 12:00 Noon. All completed absentee ballots must be returned to the Town Clerk’s office by 8:00 p.m. on July 15, 2014 in order to be processed in the Proposition 2½ override election. For those of you who will be able to vote on Tuesday, July 15th, all three Precincts will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. If you are not sure if you are registered to vote or what precinct you vote in, look up your voter status on the Secretary of State’s website at
http://www.sec.state.ma.us/VoterRegistrationSearch/MyVoterRegStatus.aspx
Simply enter your first and last name, your date of birth, and zip code. Check the “I understand” box and then click on “search”. Your voter information will be displayed. You will see whether your voter registration is active, your party affiliation, and precinct. You can even get directions to that precinct with the click of a button. Also provided is a list of elected officials and additional election resources. If your registration indicates your voter status as inactive, please contact the Clerk’s office prior to the July 15th election so we can alleviate any potential problems on the 15th.

Also, should you have any questions or concerns about the upcoming election, the Selectmen will be holding an informational session on the 2½ Override Election on Monday, July 14, 2014 @ 7:00 p.m. during their regularly scheduled Selectmen’s meeting at the Senior Center.


DOG LICENSES

All dog licenses were due and payable by April 1st. A $15.00 late fee is being assessed for any licenses that were not renewed by June 1st. We still have 184 dogs that are unlicensed for this year. A non-criminal citation with an additional charge of $25.00 will be issued for any dogs that are not licensed by July 15th, so please, come in and license your dogs to avoid any further late charges. If your dog has a valid rabies vaccine, you may also register your dog online at https://www.invoicecloud.com/rehobothgovsvcs .

STREET LISTINGS

We received the first shipment of the Annual Street Listings based on the 2014 Census data we received. If you would like a copy, there is a $15.00 charge plus sales tax of $0.94 = $15.94. You may purchase at town hall or online at
https://www.invoicecloud.com/rehobothgovsvcs


NON-RESPONDENTS TO ANNUAL TOWN CENSUS

If you have not responded to the census, this will change your voter status to inactive unless you return the card with confirmation that you still live in the Town of Rehoboth. Individuals that are on the Inactive List (those that do not return our acknowledgement card and that have not answered our annual town census) will need to provide proof of continuous residency before being allowed to vote in any state or town election and/or town meeting. We still have 340 households that have not responded to our town census. Non-Respondents are Precinct I - 107, Precinct II – 111 and Precinct III – 122.


BUSINESS CERTIFICATES

Business owners are reminded that the application fee for a business certificate and/or business certificate renewal is $50.00 and that your certificate is valid for four years. New business owners must first go to Building Inspector/Zoning Officer, to complete a sign off sheet and then to the Town Clerk’s Office as your final step to be issued a Business Certificate.

In closing, Lynn and I wish you all a wonderful 4th of July and a happy, healthy, safe, and memorable Summer! Please do not forget to vote on Tuesday, July 15 from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ~ Thank you!

Sincerely,
Laura & Lynn

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