From the Town Clerk

Hello All ~ I hope you are all home safe and staying healthy during this difficult time. As you may know, on March 16, the Rehoboth Board of Selectmen ordered all municipal buildings be closed to the public. The decision was made in response to the Governor Baker’s Executive Order and guidance from Public Health Officials.  This action was taken to provide a balance in which the Town can continue to provide essential services to the public, while attempting to prevent and mitigate the spread of the virus. We are asking the public to use our on-line resources for on-line payment and contact us via email and telephone with any questions that you may have for us.  Residents are encouraged to use the on-line services and the drop box outside of Town Hall (148 Peck Street) for bill payments, renewals or to deposit other items requiring our attention. All Town employees are working regular work hours and will be available to assist you with your needs, questions and concerns.

PLEASE KEEP INFORMED ~ SUBSCRIBE TO RECEIVE IMPORTANT ALERTS
If you have not done so already, please subscribe to the Town’s “Urgent Alerts & News and Announcements” through the Town website @ https://www.town.rehoboth.ma.us/ .  Step-by-step directions are available on the home page under “Citizen Action Center” (left side of webpage) and click on “How to Subscribe to News & Alerts”.  In that same section “Citizen Action Center” you can sign up for Urgent Alerts and News & Announcements through the button entitled “Subscribe to News”.  The Town will be updating residents daily on the COVID-19 pandemic with important information you may find helpful.  We have created a webpage specifically for the Coronavirus Updates @ https://www.town.rehoboth.ma.us/coronavirus .  By sign up for Urgent Alerts and News & Announcements, you will receive an e-mail alert when updated information becomes available on the town website.  Please stay involved and please stay healthy and safe!

ANNUAL TOWN ELECTION
As you know, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the April 7, 2020 Annual Town Election has been POSTPONED to June 30, 2020.  Below please find the “Official” language that was posted around town on Tuesday, March 31, 2020 and on the Town Website @

https://www.town.rehoboth.ma.us/home/news/april-7-2020-annual-town-election-postponed-june-30-2020:

Pursuant to Section 1 of Chapter 45 of the Acts of 2020 and because of the State of Emergency declared by the Governor pursuant to executive order 591, Declaration of a State of Emergency to Respond to COVID-19, and its implications on election administration, the Annual Town Election scheduled for April 7, 2020 is hereby postponed to June 30, 2020.  A copy of the law may be viewed on the Town Website at the above link.

At its meeting on March 23, 2020, the Board of Selectmen voted to reschedule the Rehoboth Annual Town Election to June 30, 2020 and ratified that vote on March 30, 2020.  Selectman Jim  Muri made the  MOTION “Pursuant to Section 1 of Chapter 45 of the Acts of 2020 and because of the State of Emergency declared by the Governor pursuant to executive order 591, Declaration of a State of Emergency to Respond to COVID-19, and its implications on election administration, the Rehoboth Annual Town Election scheduled for Tuesday, April 7, 2020 is hereby postponed to Tuesday, June 30, 2020. The motion was seconded by Skip Vadnais. Selectmen Voted Unanimously. Motion approved 5-0.   

The law requires the Town to post public notice of the postponed election and rescheduled election date on its website and to broadly publicize the postponement and rescheduling.  Rehoboth is posting this notice on the website, sending e-notification alerts to all website subscribers and will provide additional posted attested copies in the office of the Rehoboth Town Clerk and in not less than three other public places, in each of the three precincts of the Town along with issuing a press release to The Rehoboth Reporter – The Sun Chronicle and the Taunton Gazette.

The law establishes a new voter registration deadline of 8:00 p.m. on the 10^th day before the rescheduled election.  The rescheduled election date is June 30, 2020; therefore, the 10th day before the rescheduled election is Friday, June 19, 2020. 

The law authorizes the Town to reuse election materials.  The Town will be using the official and absentee ballots used for the April 7, 2020 election.  As required by the law a sample of the ballot appears on the Town Website at the above link.  Please Note, after the ballots were printed, we received a notarized withdrawal request of Selectman candidate, Laura Dias Samsel.  Even though Ms. Samsel’s name appears on the ballot, she is no longer a candidate.

In light of widespread practice of social distancing, the law provides for two alternatives to voting in person:

• First, the law allows any person taking precaution related to COVID-19 to vote by absentee ballot. All applications for an absentee ballot must be received by the Town Clerk before noon on Monday, June 29, 2020, the last business day before the election.  Any person may apply for an absentee ballot by sending a signed request to the Town Clerk’s office or filling out the absentee ballot application available on the Town Website at the above link.  Your absentee voting ballot must be received by the Town Clerk before the polls close 8:00 PM on election day.
• Second, the law provides for early voting by mail. All applications for early voting ballots must be received before noon on Monday, June 29, 2020, the last business day before the election.  Any person may obtain an early voting ballot by sending a signed request to the Town Clerk’s office or by filling out and returning the early voting application available on the Town Website at the above link.  Your early voting ballot must be received by the Town Clerk before the polls close 8:00 PM on election day.

The law does NOT make any other changes to elections or the election process.

In light of the COVID-19 Pandemic and social distancing concerns, we are recommending registered voters, who would like to vote, please apply now to receive a ballot by mail.  To vote “early voting through MAIL (only)” please use this application:

https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepdf/2020-Municipal-Early-Ballot-Application.pdf

To vote absentee, please use this ballot application: 

https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepdf/absentee/English-Absentee-Ballot-Application.pdf

As you know, I personally believe, voting is a tremendous gift and your vote is vital in deciding the forward motion of our town government.  During this time of health concerns and uncertainty, if you are a registered voter and unsure if you will be able to come out and vote on June 30^th, or you are concerned about voting at your polling location on June 30^th, due to health concerns, please voice your opinion by voting either early or absentee.  That being said, please allow ample mailing time – you will need MORE THAN ONE WEEK for the Town Clerk’s Office to receive your application, process the application, mail your ballot via US Mail, have time for you to vote your ballot and return your completed ballot in a signed and sealed envelope to the Town Clerk’s Office (not polling locations) no later than 8:00 p.m. on election day; June 30, 2020.  We want to ensure that everyone who wants to vote is able to vote, while staying safe and healthy.  Remember, as President Roosevelt so eloquently stated: “Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.” ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt. 

U.S. 2020 CENSUS

Make Time Today to be Counted in the U.S. Census
Recently, you should have received a letter from the U.S. Census Bureau, inviting you to go online to respond to the 2020 federal Census. The U.S. Census counts every person in the country every 10 years. The information gathered through the census is used to decide how much our community receives in State and Federal money for things like public health, transportation, and education.  The census is quick, easy, and important.  Your answers are confidential.  As of 3/31/2020, 47.6% of Rehoboth’s households have responded – thank you!  For the remaining 52.40% of Rehoboth households, please visit www.my2020census.gov and be counted today.  For those of you who do not have a computer or internet, the U.S. Census bureau will be mailing a paper Census, which you can either complete and mail back or phone in your responses in the next week or so.  If you would like to learn more about the 2020 US Census, please visit my webpage @

https://www.town.rehoboth.ma.us/town-clerk/pages/census-2020-united-states .  Thank you!

ANNUAL TOWN MEETING
Rehoboth voters are advised that the date for the Annual Town Meeting, and a Special Town Meeting preceding the Annual, has also been POSTPONED by the Board of Selectmen from Tuesday, May 12^th, at 7:00 p.m. to Tuesday, June 16, 2020.  The meeting will be held at the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School Auditorium and will likely take two evenings.  The Special Town Meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. with the Annual Town Meeting following immediately after at 7:30 p.m.  A tentative second town meeting date has been rescheduled for the following Tuesday, June 23^rd. 

UPCOMING VOTER REGISTRATION SESSION
The final Voter Registration date to be eligible to participate in the Special and Annual Town Meeting has been re-scheduled for Friday, June 5^th from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Rehoboth Town Clerk’s Office. The rescheduled Annual Town Election voter registration session has been postponed to Friday, June 19^th.  Prospective voters are reminded that they may also register to vote online by going to www.RegisterToVoteMA.com , by picking up a voter registration form at the Rehoboth Post Office, by calling the Town Clerk’s Office to request a Mail-In voter registration form, or download a form online @ http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepdf/Voter-reg-mail-in.pdf. 

7^TH ANNUAL RABIES CLINIC
As you know, the Rehoboth-Seekonk March 14, 2020 Rabies Clinic was postponed due to the Governor’s Orders of “gatherings no more than ten people”.  We have tentatively rescheduled the rabies clinic to Saturday, June 6, 2020 at the Rehoboth Animal Shelter (148 Peck Street) from 12:00 Noon to 3:00 p.m.  We will keep you posted on the rescheduled Rabies Clinic on the Town website. 

2020 DOG LICENSES
As you know, 2020 Dog licenses were due April 1, 2020.  In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Animal Control Officer and I have postponed the late fees until after the State of Emergency is lifted.  You may license your dog(s) by dropping off your payment at the Drop Box in front of Town Hall (148 Peck Street).  Please make sure you include any updated rabies vaccination certificates. Licenses may also be obtained online @ https://www.invoicecloud.com/rehobothgovsvcs, or by mail (if paying by mail, checks should be made payable to the “Town of Rehoboth”).  The licensing fees are as follows:  Male or female dog $20.00; spayed or neutered dogs $10.00.  Whether renewing online, via mail, or in person, dog license applications must be accompanied by a current year rabies certificate (with a vaccination date covering the current licensing year) and proof of spay or neuter [if applying for the $10 licensing fee] unless we already have your documentation on file in the Clerk’s Office.  If you are unsure, please give our office a call, and we can tell you how up-to-date our information is.  Reminder to those residents 70 years of age or older . . . if over 70 years old, as per MGL 140§139(c) and town meeting vote, the Clerk’s Office will waive the $10/$20 license fee; however, you must still apply for the license and show the current year rabies certificate.

Please renew your dog licenses as soon as you are able ~ thank you.  To date we registered 1,082 dogs and still have 1,138 to register.  Remember, in addition to being a legal requirement, registering your dog assures the prevention of rabies, and provides easy identification to reunite lost dogs with their owners because they are now in our database.

ANNUAL TOWN CENSUS FORMS ARE NOW PAST DUE
Our Annual Town Census Forms for year 2020 were mailed to all households in Rehoboth during the first week of January.   If you did not receive your census form, please contact the Town Clerk’s Office.  Residents were asked to review the pre-printed forms, make corrections, and return them by the January 31, 2020 deadline.  As of April 1^st we have 103 households in Precinct 1, 15 households in Precinct 2, and 90 households in Precinct 3 that have not yet returned their annual town census.  If you haven’t returned your 2020 census form, please send it to the clerk’s office as soon as possible.  I would personally like to thank the 4,706 households that have already returned their census forms.  Also, as a reminder, failure to return the completed form may result in voters being placed on an inactive voting list and as per State requirements, after four years of inactivity you will be removed from the voting list. 

Residents that have not returned their census forms may have received a “reminder” call from one of our Registrars, either Jennifer Moitoso or Helene Vitale.  I would personally like to thank Lynn Shaker, Assistant Town Clerk, Odete Lacourse and all three Registrars, Kathleen Conti, Jennifer Moitoso, and Helen Vitale for working so diligently on this year’s census forms.  With 12,915 residents, as of 4/1/2020 (up 170 from last year), this task would be unmanageable without their help ~ thank you all; I would be lost without all your hard work and dedication to the 2020 census project ~ thank you!

POPULATION FIGURES
Speaking of the number of residents in Rehoboth, our population has fluctuated over the past few years.  When I first started as Town Clerk, Rehoboth’s total population in 2013 was 12,060; 2014 was 12,175; 12,008 in 2015; 12,219 in 2016, 12,568 in 2017, 12,664 in 2018, 12,725 in 2019 and to date (4/1/2020), the 2020 census population so far is 12,915.  When the yearly census forms were received in January, residents were asked to please make sure all occupants living at their home were listed on the census; children and elders included.  Doing a quick scan of the census records I noticed there are several children who were born to families living in Rehoboth; however, they have not been added to the family census documents.  If children are born in Rhode Island (Woman’s and Infants, Rhode Island Hospital, etc.) that data is not shared with the Massachusetts town of residence.  Therefore, the newborns can only be added when the parents update their yearly census forms.  For your information, the data collected on the census forms is strictly confidential.  In addition to confidentiality, children under the age of 16 do not appear on any report distributed from this office (with the exception of the school district which keeps that same information confidential as well). 

Additionally, the D-R School District uses the census data we collect to predict the future student enrollment numbers and proof of residency.  It is very important that all residents living in Rehoboth be accounted for on the yearly census forms.  Lynn and I have also noticed that several families have moved out of Rehoboth, new families move in to those same homes; however, the new families have not filled out a census form when they move in to town.  If you are new to Rehoboth and have not received a census form, please contact us or check our website for a census form - http://www.town.rehoboth.ma.us/town-clerk/pages/census-information .  If you have already submitted your 2020 census data to our office and would like to update your 2020 census information with additional individuals living at your residence, please give us a call at 508-252-6502 X-3109 or X3110 or drop us an e-mail LSchwall@town.rehoboth.ma.us or LShaker@town.rehoboth.ma.us.  Thank you for helping us maintain an accurate database of Rehoboth residents.  This data will not only help the Clerk’s department, but all departments/committees trying to secure grants based on population figures, and the schools which are able to accurately predict and budget for future enrollment.  We appreciate your help and look forward to hearing from you soon.

MAIL
It is requested that when you send correspondence to any office at the Town Hall you only include information specific to the department you want to communicate with.  As an example, residents might send in their tax payment along with their census form or dog license.  Tax payments would go to the Tax Collector whereas census forms or dog licenses would go to the Town Clerk’s Office.  By including multiple offices in one envelop it may delay processing your requests or payments.  Thank you for your consideration.

BUSINESS CERTIFICATES
Business owners whose business certificate will expire during January through June of 2020 should have received a reminder for renewal.  The renewal fee is $50.00 (certificate renewal is good for four years) and checks should be made payable to the Town of Rehoboth.  If you have any questions on any of the above items please feel free to contact the Town Clerk’s Office at 508-252-6502, X3109 or X3110.

In closing, Lynn, Odete and I hope you all stay safe and healthy.  Praying for you all and hoping that this Pandemic ends soon and so we can get back to a normal routine.  Please keep well!

Thank you,
Laura