January News Notes

Town Renews its Electricity Aggregation Program for Three Years
Rehoboth has renewed its electricity aggregation program under a new three-year supply contract with Public Power, LLC starting in January 2018, according to a press release issued by the town. Rehoboth is part of a buying group of 23 communities including Seekonk, Dighton, Attleboro and Swansea. The program started in Jan. 2016. The goals of the program are to provide ratepayers with reduced electric rates, price stability and a responsible alternative to utility rates. The new electric rate is fixed at $0.10122 per kilowatt hour (kWh) from January 2018 to January 2021. In comparison, the Basic Service rate for National Grid from November 1, 2017 to April 30, 2018 is $0.12673 per kWh. If you are currently in the program, no action is required to continue participation. If you opted out of the original program, you will not be sent an opt-out letter and you will not be enrolled in the new contract. However, resident may still join the program by contacting Public Power, LLC at 800- 830-2944, or email: customercare@ppandu.com. Visit www.masscea.com for additional information about the Community Electricity Aggregation program.

Police Investigating “Spoofing” Call
Police are investigating a “spoofing” call that a local resident received asking for money, according to a Sun Chronicle article. The automated message appeared to come from the police department. Spoofing is a fraudulent call from an unknown source that is disguised to appear to come from another phone number. Any resident who receives this type of call should report it to the police department at 508-252-3722.

Town Clerk Qualifies for State Certification
Town Clerk Laura Schwall recently qualified for the Massachusetts Town Clerks’ Association’s Certified Massachusetts Municipal Clerk (CMMC) designation and will receive her commemorative pin and plaque at the MTCA Winter Conference in Devens in February 2018. Only 119 of the 301 town clerks in the sate hold this designation. The CMMC designation is achieved by attending Town Clerks’ Association-sponsored educational courses and passing a two hundred and fifty-question aptitude test measuring the municipal clerk’s knowledge of Massachusetts General Laws in categories such as elections and election procedures, vital records, campaign & political finance, town meetings, and more. Schwall has served as town clerk for 4 ½ years. Before being elected, she was the Computer Lab Instructor for 10 years at the Palmer River Elementary School. She is also president of the Rehoboth Anawan Lion’s Club.

Beckwith Middle School Assistant Principal on Leave after Arrest
Beckwith Middle School Assistant Principal Aaron C. Viera was put on leave after the school department learned he was arrested in a prostitution sting in New Bedford in October, according to an article in the Sun Chronicle. Viera, 45, allegedly agreed to pay an undercover police officer money in exchange for sex. He was one of 15 people arrested by the New Bedford Police Department’s narcotics unit in the sting. A misdemeanor charge against Viera was reportedly dropped and he took a sexual education course, according to news reports. School officials and most parents did not find out about the incident until December. D-R Superintendent Anthony Azar reportedly sent an email to parents saying the district was investigating the incident.

Single Family Home Sales Posted Highest Number On Record for Month of November
The residential real estate market statewide posted its highest number for November ever. The Warren Group, which tracks local real estate transactions, reported 5,124 sales in Massachusetts in November, a 1.2 percent increase from last November, according to a Sun Chronicle article. Home sales in Rehoboth increased from 11 in November 2016 to 18 in November 2017, which is a 63.6 percent change. In Seekonk, home sales for the month remained steady, at 22.