Town Clerk Corner & Voter Information

Hello All ~ I hope you are enjoying the beautiful Fall weather in Rehoboth! Speaking of the Fall, I would like to remind all town residents that Monday, October 17th is our Fall Special Town Meeting. By now you should have received the Warrant in the mail for our 10-17-16 Special Town Meeting and know we will meet at the Dighton-Rehoboth High School Auditorium at 7:00 PM. If you will be 18 years of age or older by October 17, 2016, you may register by the October 7th deadline ~ just in time for Fall Town Meeting. Remember your vote is important in the way our town is run and revenue is spent! However, you must be present in order to voice your opinion. Please come to Fall Town Meeting and be a part of the decision making process of our wonderful town. Hope to see you there.

October Voter Registration – Town Meeting & State/Presidential Election
We will have two special voter registration sessions during the month of October, with extended hours for those who cannot make it to Town Hall during regular business hours. They will be held on Friday, October 7th (Special Town Meeting deadline) and Wednesday, October 19th (State and Presidential Election deadline) from 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. If you are unable to make it to town hall, you may also register online @ https://www.sec.state.ma.us/OVR/ or www.RegisterToVoteMA.com . If you are not sure if you are registered to vote, you may check your voter status on the Secretary of State’s website at: http://www.sec.state.ma.us/VoterRegistrationSearch/MyVoterRegStatus.aspx.
If your registration indicates your voter status as inactive, please contact the Clerk’s office. Should voters have questions or unable to check their voter registration status online, please call the Town Clerk’s Office at 508 252-6502, Extension 3109 or 3110.

Massachusetts Introduces Early Voting for the State and Presidential Election
We are excited to announce that all registered voters will be able to vote before Election Day (November 8, 2016) for the first time ever in Massachusetts. Early voting will begin on October 24th and continue through November 4th, 2016. Prior to the enactment of this new law, the only way a registered voter was allowed to vote prior to Election Day was through absentee voting. Although absentee voting will still be available for registered voters who qualify, only those who will be absent from their city or town on Election Day, or have a disability that prevents them from going to the polls, or have a religious belief preventing the same, are legally allowed to vote by absentee ballot.

Unlike absentee voting, early voting is for every registered voter. Registered voters do not need an excuse or reason to vote early. Regardless of whether a voter wants to take advantage of early voting, vote absentee or vote on Election Day, the first step is making sure you are registered. To check to see if you are registered to vote, and to find information on how to register to vote, you may visit the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website: www.sec.state.ma.us/ele or the Rehoboth Town Clerk’s Office at (508) 252-6502 X-3109 or X-3110. If you need to register to vote, you may do so online by visiting: www.RegisterToVoteMA.com or at the Town Clerk’s Office located at 148 Peck Street, Rehoboth. All you need is a license or an I.D. issued by the Registry of Motor Vehicles to apply online or in person. To be eligible to vote in the November 8th State Election, you must register to vote or make any necessary changes to your voter registration by October 19th, 2016.

In the Town of Rehoboth early voting can be done in person at Rehoboth Town Hall – 148 Peck Street – Town Clerk’s Office on the following dates: Monday-Friday, October 24-November 4 between the hours of 8:00 AM-4:00 PM (Mondays-Thursdays) and 8:00 AM-12:00 Noon (Fridays). For public convenience, the Rehoboth Town Clerk’s Office has also decided to offer extended evening hours and weekend hours:
Extended Evening and Saturday Hours of Early Voting:

• Wednesday, October 26, 2016 from 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM – Town Hall-148 Peck Street
• Wednesday, November 2, 2016 from 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM – Town Hall-148 Peck Street
• Saturday, October 29, 2016 from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM – COA (Senior Center) 55 Bay State Road
• (PLEASE NOTE: Different early voting location on SATURDAY . . . COA/Senior Center not Town Hall.)

Registered voters also have the option to request an early voting ballot through the mail. Simply fill out an application and mail to the Town of Rehoboth – Town Clerk’s Office, 148 Peck Street, Rehoboth, MA 02769. You can find the application on the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website: http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele

Please note, however, once a voter has cast an early voting ballot, the voter may no longer vote at the polls on Election Day. For the first time in Massachusetts, the first choice all voters will make is which day to vote. Early voting will make the most fundamental right of our citizens more convenient than ever to exercise. We encourage all of our citizens to exercise that right and take advantage of the opportunity to vote on their schedules. Please schedule your time to vote in the 2016 Presidential Election – your voice – your vote! Thank you.

November 8, 2016 State and Presidential Election
The State and Presidential Election will be held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. ALL THREE PRECINCTS WILL BE OPEN. Precinct I is located at the Town Office Building - 148 Peck Street, Precinct II is located at the Gladys L. Hurrell Senior Center - 55 Bay State Road and Precinct III is located at the South Fire Station - 104 Pleasant Street. The polls will open at 7 a.m. and remain open until 8 p.m. As mentioned above, if you will be unavailable to vote on Tuesday, November 8th, please either request an absentee ballot or participate in the “Early Voting Sessions” from October 24, through November 4th and let your voice be heard. Absentee ballot applications are available online at: http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepdf/absentee_ballot.pdf Absentee Ballot Applications are also available at the Blanding Library, Post Office, and Senior Center in addition to Town Hall. The deadline to file an absentee ballot application is Monday, November 7th @ 12:00 Noon. All completed absentee ballots must be returned to the Town Clerk’s office by 8:00 p.m. on November 8, 2016 in order to be processed in the State election.

Vault Mold Update
At the Monday, September 19, 2016 Selectmen’s meeting, I presented three quotes for the mold remediation in the Town Hall Vault. The Selectmen and I felt the lowest bid was also the best vendor for our project. The deciding factor was that Polygon US Corporation has done similar mold remediation projects for the FBI, Pentagon, Georgetown University–Special Collections Unit, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum along with the Archival Programs Division–National Personnel Records Center. Polygon also has the contract for all Massachusetts Public Libraries and comes highly recommended by Gregor Trinkaus-Randal, Preservation Specialist for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Polygon Corporation holds the top honor of “Exceptional Rating” from the U.S. General Services Administration. Our mold remediation project is scheduled to begin on Monday, October 3, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. and continue for the next three to five days. Polygon will set the special collections room up within the vault for containment with proper air scrubbers and HEPA filtration. Polygon will scrub the environment in an effort to exhaust airborne microscopic matter. All books, boxes and maps will be HEPA vacuumed and dry sponged as needed. Shelves, ceilings, and walls will be scrubbed as well. This will include an estimated 126 linear feet of books on the selves, 80 cubic feet of boxes stored on the floor and shelves, 52 maps store on shelves and 12 tote bags stored on the floor. Hopefully this will remove the mold spores that attacked our historical permanent records back on August 11, 2016 and preserve our records for future generations to enjoy.

Dog Licenses
Unfortunately after two mailed reminders, several monthly reminders in the Rehoboth Reporter, and reminder calls from our Animal Control Officer, we have issued non-criminal citations to those residents who have not paid their April 1, 2015 dog license fees. 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. To date we have registered 2,050 dogs up 64 from last year and we currently have 36 license renewals outstanding.. As a reminder, the Town Clerk’s Office will be open for voter registration on Friday, October 7th and Wednesday, October 17th from 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM if you would like to stop by and pay your dog license fees then. We will also be open until 7:00 PM on Wednesday, October 26th and November 2nd. Dog licenses can be renewed online @ https://www.invoicecloud.com/rehobothgovsvcs, or by mail (if paying by mail, checks should be made payable to the “Town of Rehoboth”). We hope to hear from you or see you soon.

Vitals Update
So far this year, the Town Clerk’s Office has registered and processed 28 Birth Certificates (up 10 from last year at this time), 81 Marriage Intention (up 21 from last year), 66 Marriage Certificates (up five from 2015), 37 Death Certificates (down seven from 2015), 24 Burial Permits (up one from last year), and 31 new Business Certificates (up four from 2015). In addition to over 100 residency certificates we certified for the D-R School district, this year our office has been even busier than normal!

Marriage Intentions/Marriage Certificates
October is one of our busiest months for Marriage Intentions/Certificates. Therefore, as a quick reminder of the process, both parties must come to town hall and complete a three-part packet (Marriage Intention, Marriage Supplement, and Marriage Worksheet). The parties must provide their social security number and mother’s maiden name. Upon completion of the documents, there is a “State required” 3-day waiting period before the couple may pick up their marriage license. The marriage license is good for 60-days. If you are not married within that timeframe, you must complete the process again. The charge is $20 for the Marriage Intention and $10 for the Marriage Certificate. Note: If you are using an officiant from another state (Rhode Island for example), your officiant must obtain a one-day solemnization certificate from the Secretary of State’s office prior to your wedding day. The application can be found on the Secretary of State’s website, the Rehoboth Town Clerk’s website, or we have copies at town hall.

Thank You Rehoboth Police – Fire – Ambulance – Highway, etc.
At the Monday, September 19th Selectmen’s meeting the Rehoboth Police Department was recognized for the magnificent job they did with the five-hour standoff at Cumberland Farms. I personally would like to thank the Rehoboth Police, Fire, Ambulance, Highway, and others who were involved with keeping the residents of Rehoboth safe in a time of crisis. Who would have thought our quiet town of Rehoboth would be involved with a situation like that. I am thankful to all the public safety personnel who knew exactly what to do. Thank you!

Remembering Otis Dyer Jr.
I would like to send my personal condolences to the Dyer family and friends with the passing of Otis Dyer Jr. on Sunday, September 25th. Having known Otis both as Town Clerk and as a Trustee for the Antiquarian Society (Otis was our Vice President), it was a sincere pleasure working with him over the past few years. It was such a shock to hear of Otis’ passing and he will truly be missed. His dedication to the town of Rehoboth was amazing – 25 years appointed to the Historical Commission, 14 years as an Elected Water Commissioner, and Otis also served on the 350th Anniversary Relocation Time Capsule Committee, 350th Anniversary Steering Committee, By Law Study Committee, Harvest Block Party and Town Events Committee. Otis participated in the building of the Carpenter Museum and became a Trustee for the Rehoboth Antiquarian Society earlier in this century. I sincerely enjoyed working on the Boston Post Cane project with Otis and am so very sad that he was taken at such an early age. My thoughts and prayers are with Otis Jr.’s family and friends during this difficult time.

Finally, please Remember the following events in October and early November: Fall Special Town Meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 17th at 7:00 PM in the Dighton-Rehoboth High School Auditorium. Final voter registration for Special Town Meeting is Friday, October 7th from 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. and for the State/Presidential Election – Wednesday, October 17th from 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Early voting will begin on Monday, October 24th and continue through Friday, November 4th. We will be open late (8:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.) at town hall (148 Peck Street) for early voting on Wednesday, October 26th and Wednesday, November 7th. We will also hold an early voting session at the Council on Aging – Senior Center (55 Bay State Road) on Saturday, October 29th from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. We hope to see you there. One more reminder – Tuesday, November 1st quarterly real estate taxes are due. Please have a wonderful October ~ Lynn and I wish our Jewish neighbors an easy fast and G'mar Hatima Tova and to all Rehoboth residents we wish you a safe and healthy Columbus Day & Halloween!

Sincerely,
Laura & Lynn