From the Town Clerk
Hello All ~ I hope the November issue of the Reporter finds you all healthy and safe. As we enter the month of November, this is a friendly reminder that quarterly Real Estate & Property Taxes were due Tuesday, November 1st.
November 8, 2022 (Tuesday) – State Gubernatorial Election
All four precincts will be voting at the Francis Farm Museum Building – 27 Francis Farm Road off of County Street; County Street is off of Route 118. Polls will open at 7:00 AM and close at 8:00 PM. Vote by Mail Ballots or Absentee ballots must be returned to the Ballot Drop Box at Town Hall, 340 Anawan Street (Route 118) by 8:00 PM on November 8, 2022 to be counted. Voters cannot drop off “mail in” ballots at the Francis Farm polling location. Mailed ballots must be POSTMARKED by 11-8-22 and received in our office by 5:00 PM on November 12th to be counted.
Please know before you go to the polls:
- Are you registered to vote in the 11-8-2022 Election? Please go to the website below and check your voting status: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/VoterRegistrationSearch/MyVoterRegStatus.aspx
- If your voting status is Inactive, please make sure you bring your ID to the polling site to reactivate your voting status.
- If you requested a Vote-by-Mail Ballot or Absentee Ballot and mailed or dropped your ballot off at town hall, you will NOT be able to vote in person on Election Day. If you requested a ballot, but did not send your voted ballot back and would like to vote on Election Day, you will need to sign a voter affirmation stating your mailed ballot will not be processed should it be received in our office.
- Sample Ballots can be found around Town at the posting locations or online by going to RehobothMA.gov and clicking on the Early Voting graphic under “News”. Direct link:
- Information for Questions 1-5 can also be found on the above website. If you would like to hear a detailed discussion on Ballot Question 5, you can view the Monday, October 17, the Board of Selectmen @ https://www.rehobothtv.org/ondemandPlayer?ShowID=3884 The discussion on Ballot Question #5 begins around 36- minutes into the video; almost to the end of the meeting. Handouts are also available at the polling location. Thank you all for voting!
10-25-2022 Special Town Meeting
As you know, the Board of Selectmen voted to hold a Fall Town Meeting on October 25, 2022. I would personally like to thank Kathleen Conti, retired Rehoboth Town Clerk, for agreeing to be Temporary Town Clerk at the 10-25 Town Meeting. As Town Clerk, I was also responsible for closing the 10-25-22 In-Person Early Voting session for the 11-8-22 Election and prepare for the next day’s In-Person Early Voting session and unable to be in two places at one time. The work I needed to do was on the State Computer, which is only accessible from my office at Town Hall. I ended up working until 9:45 that night so by Kathy agreeing to be temporary Town Clerk, the 10/25 Town Meeting could take place while I also honored my legal election requirements for the In-Person Early Voting Sessions. For your information, every day of In-Person Early voting is a mini election which requires considerable work of both the election workers and town clerk’s office to prepare and update the data necessary so we can have an accurate, safe and secure election. Thank you, Kathy, for helping us out. Thank you also everyone who stepped up to the plate to help with the Town Meeting, especially the Election Workers, many of whom also worked the 10-25 Early Voting session along with Odete, Mike Viveiros and his staff, Derek Rousseau and Gary Zimmer. You all made the 10-25-22 Town Meeting a success ~ thank you!
Update on the four articles of Town Meeting:
ARTICLE 1: FISCAL YEAR 2023 BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS
SUBMITTED BY: BOARD OF SELECTMEN
Voted by Majority vote to Raise and Appropriate the sum of $345,748 to increase the Fiscal Year 2023 budget lines as printed in the warrant, and to authorize the Town Accountant to allocate such sums to the appropriate operating budgets.
ARTICLE 2: AUTHORIZATION TO PAY BILLS OF A PRIOR YEAR
SUBMITTED BY: BOARD OF SELECTMEN
Voted unanimously to authorize payments of Fiscal Year 2022 bills, as listed in the Warrant, that were submitted to the Town after the closing of Fiscal Year 22 and to Raise and Appropriate $4,135.71 to fund the same.
ARTICLE 3: FISCAL YEAR 2023 CAPTIAL BUDGET-TOWN
SUBMITTED BY: BOARD OF SELECTMEN
Voted unanimously, to divide the question into two separate items (#1 and #2) as presented in the warrant under Article 3 into two separate items; Article 3-A Forestry and article 3-B Fire Department:
ARTICLE 3A: FISCAL YEAR 2023 CAPTIAL BUDGET-TOWN-FORESTRY
Voted by two-thirds vote (as determined by the Moderator-only one voter standing in question of the verdict of the Chair) to table Article 3-A – (Tabled the transfer from Capital Stabilization a total of $290,000 to fund the Capital Item - Garage Structure.)
ARTICLE 3B: FISCAL YEAR 2023 CAPTIAL BUDGET-TOWN-FIRE DEPRTMENT
Voted unanimously to approve the transfer, as amended, from Free Cash a total of $45,000 to fund the capital item - Polaris Kodiak 700 CAN AM Ambulance as listed in the warrant.
ARTICLE 4: TO AMEND BOARD OF HEALTH-TRANSFER STATION OFFSET RECEIPTS
SUBMITTED BY: BOARD OF HEALTH
Voted by Majority Vote to amend Article 5 from the 2022 Annual Town Meeting “Offset Receipts” for the solid waste handling facility and recycling area from $158,000 to $148,700.
The 10-25-22 Special Town Meeting adjourned at 8:43 PM with 127 voters present.
2022 Dog License Reminders
Unfortunately, after four mailed reminders, numerous monthly reminders in the Rehoboth Reporter, and reminder phone calls from our office and the Animal Control Officer, Rob Johnson, we are required to mail non-criminal citations to those residents who have not paid their April 1, 2022 dog license fees. $25-Citations will begin going out after Thanksgiving. If you received a citation, please make sure your dogs have a valid rabies certificate and send or bring your licensing fees to town hall as soon as possible. We thank the 1,918 Dog Owners who have renewed their dog’s 2022 licenses. Out of 2,320 registered dogs in Rehoboth, we currently have 402 license renewals outstanding. Please register your dog(s) either online, by mail, or in person to avoid any future late fees. Thank you!
Town Offices Closed
Just a reminder, Town Offices will be closed on Friday, November 11, 2022 to observe Veteran’s Day and Thursday, November 24th for Thanksgiving Day. In addition to Thanksgiving Day, Town Offices will close at noon on Wednesday, November 23rd and remain closed on Friday, November 25th, the day after Thanksgiving.
Please Thank A Veteran
Please take a moment on Veteran’s Day (Friday, November 11) to think about and thank the Veterans in your life, along with all the other Veterans for their dedication, service, and sacrifice for our Country. I thank you all!
Finally, Odete and I would like to wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. Have a healthy and safe November. I look forward to chatting with you again in December.
Sincerely,
Laura
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