From the Seekonk Town Clerk's Office

Happy August! We hope you had a wonderful July. It certainly flew by and we can’t believe the summer is almost over.

The Town Clerk’s Office was certainly busy with the Special Town Election on July 21^st and processing voter registration postcards. We are overwhelmed with the responses. Thank you to all those that have returned them to our office. This allows us to keep our voter records accurate with the State. Please note, we are required by Massachusetts General Law to mail them if we did not receive the yearly census

JULY 21, 2025 SPECIAL TOWN ELECTION RESULTS
A special election was held on Monday, July 21, 2025 at the Seekonk High School from 7:00AM to 8:00PM to answer the following binding question: Shall the Town of Seekonk be allowed to exempt from the provisions of proposition two and one-half, so-called, the amounts required to pay for the bond issued in order to pay the costs of the renovation and expansion of the Seekonk Public Library building located at 410 Newman Ave, including the payment of all other incidental and related costs? The Results:

Number of Registered Voters: 12,665

Total Votes Cast: 1,482

Percentage Turnout: 11.7%

                        Yes: 855

                        No:  627

IN RECOGNITION

Lorraine Sorel – Lorraine began her career with the Town of Seekonk on October 10, 1989, as a senior clerk in the Collector’s Office. On May 28, 2017, Lorraine was appointed as the Assistant Town Clerk.  During the past 35 years, Lorraine has been an invaluable asset to the residents of Seekonk as well as all who have been fortunate enough to call her a colleague.  Her friends and coworkers (past and present) want to congratulate her on a well-deserved retirement. On a personal note, I want to express my sincere gratitude to her for not only being a friend and colleague, but for her willingness to share her knowledge over the past 14 months as I was transitioning into my new role.  Your generosity, kindness and patience have been greatly appreciated. I will certainly miss hearing your infectious laugh every day. Lorraine, you will be greatly missed by so many. Thank you for all your contributions to the Town of Seekonk.

UPCOMING EVENT - Seekonk Police National Night Out - Please join the Seekonk Police Department for their annual National Night Out on Monday, August 5^th from 4:00 PM–8:00 PM at the Seekonk Public Safety Complex, 500 Taunton Ave, Seekonk, MA. It is a fun-filled event that brings community and law enforcement together for a safer, stronger town! This family-friendly event features free food, music, kids’ activities, giveaways, demonstrations, and the chance to meet your local police officers, firefighters, and public safety partners. All ages welcome and admission is free!

REMINDERS FROM THE TOWN CLERK’S OFFICE

Dog Licenses are past due
As of June 1, dog license renewals are past due. Per MGL Chapter 140 Section 137: All dogs 6 months or older must be licensed annually with proof of a current rabies vaccination. Failure to comply may result in a by-law citation fee. As of June 1^st there will be a $20.00 late fee per dog imposed on license renewals. The license fees are $10.00 for spayed or neutered dogs. $20.00 for un-spayed or un-neutered dogs. If you are late renewing, please remember to add $20.00 per dog to the above fees.

REMINDERS FROM THE TAX COLLECTOR’S OFFICE
If you have any questions regarding your taxes, please contact the Tax Collector’s Office at 508-336-2930.

Motor Vehicle Excise Taxes

• Motor Vehicle Excise Tax 4^th commitment bills are due by August 27, 2025
• Motor Vehicle Excise Tax 3^rd commitment bills are on demand and were due by July 30, 2025.
• Motor Vehicle Excise Tax bills 1^st and 2^nd commitment bills are past due and with the Deputy Collector (781-944-8504).

Real Estate and Personal Property Taxes:

• Fourth quarter bills were due by Thursday, May 1, 2025
• Demand notices have been issued for any unpaid Real Estate or Personal Property Taxes and payment was due in full by June 5, 2025

• Further collection notices will be issued for any unpaid Fiscal Year 2025 balances.

• Fiscal Year 2026 Preliminary Real Estate and Personal Property Tax Bills will be mailed the first week in July.
• The first quarter payment is due by August 4, 2025 and second quarter is due by November 3, 2025. Fourth quarter was due  Thursday  May 1, 2025

***BOARD AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS NEEDED***
Please consider volunteering your time and talent to sit on one of our many boards and committees. If you are interested, please complete a talent bank form online at https://www.seekonk-ma.gov/583/Talent-Bank-Form, request one via email at townclerk@seekonk-ma.gov, or pick one up at either the Town Clerk’s Office or Town Administrator’s Office.

Board of Registrars helps the Town Clerk’s office by mailing ballots, test voting machines, and post-election duties, when needed.

Capital Improvement Committee reviews capital project requests and rates/ranks each project based on priority, budget impact, public safety, equipment replacement, efficiency, useful life, cost reduction, benefit to the Town and alignment with the Master Plan.

Commission on Disability researches local concerns of people with disabilities, advises and assists municipal officials to ensure compliance with state/federal laws and regulations that affect people with disabilities, coordinate or carry out programs designed to meet the problems of people with disabilities,  reviews and makes recommendations about policies, procedures, services, activities and facilities as they affect people with disabilities; provides information, referrals, guidance and technical assistance to individuals, public agencies, businesses and organizations in all matters pertaining to disability; and coordinates activities of other local groups organized for similar purposes. For more information, please refer to MGL Chapter 40, §8J or contact our office.

Cultural Council is a group of interested residents whose purpose is to support community-based projects in the arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences.

Economic Development Committee reviews the Town’s long-term economic development plans and marketing the Town. They also will promote new business development and support existing businesses in Town.

Energy Committee provides advice to the Select Board on policies and programs that may help reduce the town's "carbon footprint.”

Finance Committee oversees and advises on the town's financial matters.

Historical Committee prepares and distributes publications, make recommendations to the selectmen, and helps develop an effective local program for preservation that is based on the needs and desires of our community.

Parks & Recreation works with the Parks and Recreation Coordinator to help develop the town’s recreational areas, gather ideas for new programing, and offer diverse programs for the community.

Recycling Committee helps coordinate and implement various sustainability programs in town-including recycling education, food waste composting, reducing waste by switching to reusable products, rain barrels for saving water and reducing flooding, litter patrol for cleaning up our streets, and special recycling programs for hard to recycle products.

Zoning Board of Appeals adopt rules, not inconsistent with the provisions of the zoning ordinance or by-law for the conduct of its business and for purposes of this chapter and shall file a copy of said rules with the city or town clerk.

SUMMER HOURS FOR TOWN OFFICES

Town Hall

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM

Wednesday 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM

Closed Friday

Building and Health Departments

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 6:30 AM to 3:30 PM

Wednesday 6:30 AM to 4:30 PM

Closed Friday

Human Services

Monday through Thursday 8:15 AM to 4:00 PM and Friday 8:15 AM to 12:00 PM

Public Works

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM

Wednesday 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM

Friday 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM

Thank you for taking the time to read the Town Clerk’s Office monthly update. We hope you have a wonderful August and as always, please contact us at (508) 336-2920 or email townclerk@seekonk-ma.gov if you have any questions.

~Kristen and Lorraine