Rehoboth Town Clerk

Hello All ~ Happy July. I can’t believe we are more than half way through 2016. I also can’t believe three full years have 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 another exciting, interesting, challenging, and informative year!

As you know, one of my goals is to make the Town Clerk’s office more accessible to the public. On June 15 & 16, 2016, the Massachusetts Clerk’s Association offered a two-day workshop offering several classes, which I felt would benefit Lynn and I in providing enhanced services to the Town. As a result, I asked retired Town Clerk, Kathleen Conti, if she would manage the Clerk’s office while we were at the workshop. Kathy generously agreed, and opened the office for business both days – 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 several great workshops, which will benefit us all. The classes we took were: Early Voting and Public Records Laws presented by Lauren Goldberg and the Secretary of the Commonwealth staff. 2016 Primary and Election Preparation and Administration presented by Michelle Tassinari, Director/Legal Counsel of the SOC Elections Division, Vitals Potpourri presented by Alex Forman, Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics and finally, “There’s Not Enough Time” presented by Jeremy Gillis – a workshop on time management, leveraging technology, and improving processes, which will allow us to “manage the work instead of the work managing us”. All classes were very informative and helpful. Lynn and I look forward to implementing what we have learned to increase the proficiency of our office and to the residents of Rehoboth. One hotly discussed subject at the Massachusetts Town Clerk’s Conference was Early Voting. This new legislation, which will be offered to voters for the upcoming Presidential election in November, will be discussed in detail in the September issue of the Reporter, after the September Primary is over. It was suggested at the conference that we not advertise the new Early Voting regulations until after the September Primary as to not confuse the voters, since it will only pertain to the November 8, 2016 Presidential Election this year.

NEW ENGLAND MUNICIPAL CLERK INSTITUTE & ACADEMY ~ JULY 9-15, 2016

Plymouth State University, Plymouth, New Hampshire

Thanks to Town Meeting’s vote in May, I will be continuing my 3-year Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC) certification process as Rehoboth’s Town Clerk. This year will be my second term. The Certified Municipal Clerk program is designed to enhance the job performance of the Clerk in small and large municipalities. The program consists of a solid week of classes beginning Saturday, July 9 through Friday, July 15 at Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire. Therefore, I will be out of the office during that week. The International Institute of Municipal Clerks program is held during the same week of July, each year, for three years. In addition to accumulating the necessary classroom hours, I must also complete a 3-year Town Clerk “experience” requirement as well. If all goes well, in a few years I will be both your Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC) through the International Institute of Municipal Clerks Association along with a Certified Massachusetts Municipal Clerk (CMMC) through the Massachusetts Town Clerk’s Association. I look forward to reporting on how this year’s coursework went in my August Reporter article.

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 15th. We still have 134 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 24/7. Thanks so much.

STREET LISTINGS

We received the first shipment of the Annual Street Listings based on the 2016 Census data we gathered this year. If you would like a copy, there is a $15.00 charge. You may purchase at town hall or online at https://www.invoicecloud.com/rehobothgovsvcs and click on Street Listings.

NON-RESPONDENTS TO ANNUAL TOWN CENSUS

If you have not responded to the census, your voter status will change to inactive unless you return the signed confirmation card stating 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 federal, state, or town election and/or town meeting. We still have 153 households that have not responded to our 2016 town census. Non-Respondent Households in Precinct I = 52, Precinct II = 54 and Precinct III = 47.

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. Information and forms are on the Town Clerk’s website:

http://www.town.rehoboth.ma.us/town-clerk/pages/business-certificates

BOSTON POST CANE UPDATE

It’s here ~ it’s here ~ it’s here. The replica Boston Post Cane is here. I will post next month a photo of the replica and the original cane for you to view. Currently we are getting it engraved. The Friends of the Rehoboth Senior Citizens generously paid for the replica cane and also paid to have a lapel pin presented to each Boston Post Cane recipient. The Friends of Rehoboth Senior Citizens felt it would be nice to have the lapel pin passed on through the family when the replica cane is returned to the town. Thank you Friends, Board of Selectmen, Otis Dyer Jr. & Sr., for your help with getting the Boston Post Cane tradition revived! On July 5th, I will be meeting with the Board of Selectmen along with Lorraine Botts, Chairman of the Friends of the Rehoboth Senior Citizens, and Linna Sherman – COA Director, to see how we would like to recognize our oldest resident with the cane and lapel pin. I will keep you updated in the August Reporter article.

CONGRATS ~ CHIEF BARRESI - FIRE STATIONS 1, 2, 3 OFFICERS &

POLICE DEPARTMENT DETECTIVE

I attended the June 20th Selectmen’s meeting to discuss the Boston Post Cane. At that meeting, Retired Attleboro Fire Chief, Ronald Churchill presented specialized training certificates to Chief Barresi and fourteen other fire officers and one police detective. The officers received the certificates for completing their arson investigation and fire science training. Since it was so impressive to see how many officers were in attendance in their dress uniforms (they all looked so handsome), I took the photo above to share with you all. We are truly fortunate to have so many wonderful public safety personnel in Rehoboth who are willing to go above and beyond to take professional development courses on their own personal time. Thank you all for all you do for the residents of Rehoboth.

In closing, Lynn and I wish you all a wonderful 4th of July and a happy, healthy, safe, and memorable summer! I look forward to chatting with you again in August.

Sincerely,

Laura & Lynn