March 28, 2024

From the Town Clerk

Posted

Hello All – Another month has quickly flown by, and I hope you have been enjoying your summer. As the summer draws to a close, I wish you a healthy and happy Labor Day!

Upcoming State Primary – Tuesday, September 19, 2017
The Special State Primary to fill Senator Timilty’s vacated seat will be held on Tuesday, September 19, 2017. All three precincts will be open – Precinct I - the Town Office Building located at 148 Peck Street, Precinct II - the Gladys L. Hurrell Senior Center, which is located at 55 Bay State Road and Precinct III, the South Fire Station, that is located at 102 Pleasant Street. The polls will be open at 7 a.m. and remain open until 8 p.m. The final voter registration session, to be eligible to participate in this election, was held on Wednesday, August 30, 2017 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Since this is a Primary Election, if you are registered as a Democrat, Republican or Libertarian, you must take that party’s ballot; you will not be offered a choice of ballots. If you did not enroll in a “party” (Democratic, Republican or Libertarian), you may still vote in the Special State Primary Election by choosing a party ballot. Unenrolled voters (commonly referred to as "Independents") and members of political designations or minor parties may vote in the party primary of their choice (Democratic, Republican or Independent Primary Ballots). Choosing to vote in a particular party's primary does NOT enroll you as a member of that party. Also, if you choose a ballot, the election inspectors are required, by Massachusetts State Election Laws, to announce the party ballot you chose at the check-in table and the check-out table.

As a FYI, for the September 19th election, there are no candidates on the Libertarian Party Ballot. Also – New for 2017-2018 - NOTE: If you are registered as a United Independent Party (UIP) voter, or registered as a Green-Rainbow voter last year, those previously considered “parties” are now considered “designations” resulting in the United Independent Party registered voter and Green-Rainbow voter being able to choose their ballot (Democratic, Republican or Libertarian) at the September 19, 2017 Special State Primary Election.

To check your party affiliation or to view the candidates on each party’s ballot (Democratic, Republican, Libertarian), you may go to: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/VoterRegistrationSearch/MyVoterRegStatus.aspx

I look forward to seeing you all at the polls on Tuesday, September 19th for the Special State Primary and again on Tuesday, October 17th for the Special State Election to fill Senator Timilty’s vacancy. Below are the candidates running for Senator Timilty’s Senate seat in the upcoming Primary:
Bristol & Norfolk Senatorial District
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Democratic Party Candidates
Name Address Statement
PAUL R. FEENEY 182 North St., Foxborough Former Selectman
EDWARD R. PHILIPS 3 Garden St., Sharon Finance Committee Member

Republican Party Candidates
Name Address Statement
MICHAEL C. BERRY 224 School St., Walpole Former Walpole Selectman
HARRY C. BROUSAIDES 23 Bubbling Brook Rd., Walpole Town Meeting Member
TIM HEMPTON 47 Christina Dr., Walpole Representative Town Meeting Member
JACOB J. VENTURA 214 Park St., Attleboro Former Finance Committee Member

Libertarian Candidates
NO NOMINATIONS

Upcoming Fall Town Meeting
Date Change – November 6, 2017
The Board of Selectmen voted at their December 5, 2016 meeting to hold a Fall Special Town Meeting on Monday, October 16, 2017. Due to Senator Timilty vacating his position and the State holding a Special State Election on Tuesday, October 17th, to fill that vacancy, I could not have our election workers work a Town Meeting on Monday and then a State Election the very next day. Therefore, after meeting with the Moderator and Board of Assessors, I met on May 22, 2017 with the Board of Selectmen to reschedule the Fall Town Meeting from Monday, October 17, 2017 to Monday, November 6th, 2017. The Warrant for the Special Town Meeting is now open and articles are to be submitted to the Office of the Board of Selectmen by noon on Thursday, September 14th. The Fall Special Town Meeting will start at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium at the Dighton Rehoboth Regional High School, 2700 Regional Road, North Dighton, MA. There will be a voter registration session on Friday, October 27th from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. for those unregistered voters who wish to take part in the Monday, November 6th Special Town Meeting. Please mark your calendar for the Fall Special Town Meeting ~ Monday, November 6th at 7:00 p.m. Town Meeting is Rehoboth’s form of government, and it is at these meetings where “The People” make decisions concerning the Town Bylaws and how revenue is allocated. Only those who attend have a say and a vote. Therefore, please take a moment to mark your calendar and attend the Fall Special Town Meeting so your voice is heard and your vote counted.

Attorney General Approved General & Zoning Bylaw Amendment
On August 24th we received the final approval on the May 8, 2017 Bylaw Amendments from the Attorney General’s Office. They were Articles 9-General Bylaw Amendment to Chapter A – Revolving Accounts, 11-Amendment to Chapter E-Zoning Bylaw Article 2.0 Definitions, 12-Amendment to Chapter E Zoning Bylaw Article 6.7 Site Plan Approval, and 13-Chapter E Zoning Bylaw Amendment-Marijuana Temporary Moratorium in the May 8, 2017 Annual Town Meeting Warrant. Posted copies of the AG’s approval were posted by Constables Abrams and Hass on August 25th. Therefore, the General Bylaw Amendments become effective the date of posting (August 25, 2017) and the Zoning Bylaws become effective the date of Town Meeting (May 8, 2017). Please look for the updated General and Zoning Bylaws on the town website @ https://www.town.rehoboth.ma.us/town-clerk/pages/bylaws-town-rehoboth

Dog Licenses
Lynn and I continue to process the 2017 dog licenses that were due April 1st. To date we have renewed 2,059 licenses, and 20 kennel licenses. We are still waiting for 74 dog licenses to be renewed and one kennel. An additional $25 late fee is now imposed for a total late fee of $40 plus a certified mailing fee along with a Non-Criminal Citation; please renew your delinquent dog’s license as soon as possible before any further fees are accumulated. Also, please remember, we need a valid rabies certificate at the time of renewal.

Business Certificates
If you received a reminder letter from our office regarding your 4-Year Business Certificate expiring this year, please complete the renewal form, have your signature(s) notarized, and mail the form to our office with the fifty dollar ($50) renewal fee. You may also bring the form to our office, and we will notarize your signature(s) for free. Should you choose not to renew the business certificate, (if you no longer conduct your business), the business certificate will lapse and be void.

School Residency Forms
Every year, prior to school starting, the Town Clerk’s office has an influx of school residency requests. Before any student is enrolled in the D-R School system, the family must complete and have notarized by the Town Clerk a VERIFICATION OF RESIDENCY form for each child entering the school system.

As it states in the School Policy: “In order to register a student with the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District, the parent or guardian (or the student if age 18 or older) must produce a completed Certificate of Residency (Policy JFAA/JFBA-E), and at least one original document from each category listed below:

Category 1: Evidence of Residency:
• Record of recent mortgage payment and/or property tax bill from a member town
• Fully signed and executed lease or rental agreement
• Proof of tenancy-at-will: Landlord Affidavit and most recent rental payment
• Section 8 Agreement

Category 2: Evidence of Occupancy
• Utility (gas, oil, electric, home phone, cable, water) bill or work order dated within the past 60 days with name and address stated
• Bank statement or pay stub with name and address stated
• Excise tax bill with name and address stated

Category 3: Proof of Identification
• MA Driver’s License
• MA Photo ID Card
• Passport
• Government-Issued ID (i.e. Student Visa, Work Visa)

The Superintendent may require production of additional documents from one or more categories. Individuals having difficulty providing the requested documentation should contact the Superintendent of Schools.”

This year, we have doubled that normal residency certification volume with at least 70-75 requests, if not more coming to Town Hall for the certification. When new residents come in to get their Residency Forms certified, we also have them fill out a 2017 Census form, which keeps our databases up-to-date as well. For those families coming to the Town Clerk’s office for a residency certification, please make sure you have the required documentation listed above before heading up to town hall ~ Thank you.

2017 Census Forms Still Needed
As you know, the 2017 Census forms went out this year during the first week of January. Completed forms were due to the Clerk’s office by January 30th. To date we have 155 households who have not returned their census forms. Please complete, sign, and send them to the Clerk’s Office as soon as possible so we may update your records ~Thank you!

Various Town Clerk Office September Happenings
During the month of September, we will continue the process of preparing for the 2018 Census and Dog Tags programs. Marriage intentions and licenses continue to be processed with 49 licenses being issued so far this year; a decrease of nineteen licenses over last year (a record year). We will be testing the election equipment, conducting the Tuesday, September 19th Special State Primary – certifying the election, and preparing for the upcoming October 17, 2017 Special Town Election.

Finally, Lynn and I wish you all a safe and healthy end to your summer vacations. We also hope you enjoy an exciting new school year and Fall season. Speaking of the Fall, I look forward to seeing many of you at the Harvest Block Party this year. It will be held on Saturday, September 16th (Rain Date Sunday, September 17th) from 10:00 am ~ 3:00 PM at Redway Plain; Gerry and I will be volunteering in the food tent ~ please stop by to see us. I will also have voter registration materials if you would like to register to vote for the October 17th Special State Senate Election. In addition, the 375th Anniversary Committee will have a booth this year to promote Rehoboth’s upcoming 375th Anniversary. Please make sure you stop by and check out the new 375th Anniversary t-shirts; they look awesome. We hope to see you at the upcoming September 19th Special State Primary, October 17th Special Senate Election and November 6th Special Fall Town Meeting. Please have a most enjoyable September.

Thank You ~ Laura & Lynn

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