Town Clerk

Voter Registration

The Secretary of the Commonwealth has developed an excellent tool for learning about your voter registration status, who your representatives are, links to their websites showing how to contact them, and other elections related information at the following address. If you have a zip code other than 01072 and your zip code doesn't work for your name, try putting in 01072.

http://www.sec.state.ma.us/VoterRegistrationSearch/MyVoterRegStatus.aspx

Register to vote:  Call Town Clerk (413) 259-1204 to have a mail-in voter registration form sent, stop in Town Clerk’s Office to register in person, or register at the Registry of Motor Vehicles when you renew your driver’s license.

Massachusetts also has On-Line Voter Registration. The On-line voter registration closes twenty days before an election.  This link is closed until after the March 3rd primary  https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ovr

No need to wait for an election — do it anytime!

 

Super Tuesday, the presidential party primary, is coming: Tuesday, March 3, 2020.  There are some important dates to know:

Now - Absentee Ballot Application (required) can be found outside the Town Clerks’ door and on-line at https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eleabsentee/absidx.htm

Wednesday, 2/12/20 – Last day for new voter registration, address change, or change of party form. Extra Town Clerk hours that day, 2-4 pm, 7-8 pm.  You can check online to see if you are already registered to vote: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/VoterRegistrationSearch/MyVoterRegStatus.aspx

Mon through Fri, 2/24 - 2/28 - Early Voting during regular town clerk hours. See more information about Absentee or Early voting below.

Tuesday 3/3/20 - Polls are open from 7 am - 8 pm.  Absentee ballots must be in the Town Clerk’s mailbox (12 noon) or brought to the polls by 8 pm.  Registered voters can also vote absentee in person in the Town Clerk’s office.   

At the polls everyone is welcomed to use the assistive technology provided by the AutoMark machine.  Using this machine, the voter can adjust the print size and color, listen to the ballot be read through headphones and mark their ballot independently.  Just ask for the AutoMark ballot at the check-in table.   Voters may also bring an assistant or request assistance to mark a paper ballot.  We want to help all Americans vote!

 

2020 Town Census

Everyone one who lives in Shutesbury should have received your blue 2020 Annual Street Listing/Census form in the mail.  PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE return this form after you review, correct and sign it.  Please list all members of your household, including children.  If you can provide the address of anyone in your household who has moved away, that is a big help.  Returning this form keeps you on the active voter roll and lets us know how many people live in town. (Last count: 1,805) If you didn’t get our census mailing, please contact the Town Clerk.

 

Absentee Voting

You may vote absentee due to absence from town during normal polling hours, physical disability, or religious belief. You can request that the ballot be mailed to you or you can fill out the application and vote absentee in person during Town Clerk hours. 

You can download an application from the Sec. of State  website http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepdf/absentee/English-Absentee-Ballot-…

Applications can also be picked up outside the Town Clerk's office, or mailed upon request, or sign a simple note, stating your residential address, where to mail the ballot and, if this is for a primary election and you are not enrolled in a specific party, please state which party ballot you want to receive. 

 

Early Voting

For the Presidential Primary, Shutesbury will have Early Voting from Feb. 24 - 28, Monday - Friday, during regular Town Clerk office hours which are: Monday 3-7pm, Tuesday 8:30 - Noon, Wednesday and Thursday mornings 8:30 - 10:30, Thursday evening 5 - 7pm and Friday 8:30 - noon. 

Early Voting can be done by mail if your request is received no later than noon on 2/28. Your request has to have your residence, the party of the ballot you are requesting for the Primary and your signature.  Early Voting ballots cannot be mailed out until Monday, 2/24 and must be returned by mail or in person by the close of the polls at 8 pm on 3/3/20.

 

Citizen Petitions

A Citizen's Petition is a proposal brought to Town Meeting by a citizen or group of citizens which will appear as a warrant article to be voted on.  Crafting a successful petition takes time and information gathering is important. For an information sheet that describes the process, click here. 

Approved bylaw change from 12/10/19 Special Town Meeting

The Office of the Attorney General approved Shutesbury's bylaw change.  Annual Town Meeting will now be held on the last Saturday in April.  The posting is here.

 

Public Records Requests

Many citizens would like to know more about the activities of committees and boards in town.  You may find the information you are seeking on a board or committee's page on the town website.  If the information is not there or you don't have web access, you are welcomed to make a public records request to the Town Clerk.  You can click here to email your request.

Under state Public Record Law,  the requests for public records in Shutesbury are made to Susie Mosher, Town Clerk, our Records Access Officer.  Requests can be made in writing or by email.  Please include contact your information.  For more an update on the Public Records law, go to   https://www.sec.state.ma.us/pre/prenotice.htm

Shutesbury has guidelines for the Public Record here.

Minutes for Meetings

The Open Meeting Law Guide describes the requirements for minutes on pages 15-16 and can be read here.  

I am attaching samples of minute templates that meet the OML requirements in different styles.  Your committee may have their own format that meets the requirements.    Table Format   Narrative Format  You can get copies of these forms in the lower right-hand mailbox in the hallway at Town Hall and from the stand outside the Town Clerk's office. 

Mandatory Ethics Training for All Employees and Volunteers

Upon appointment or hire and on an annual basis thereafter, the Town Clerk is required by statute to provide all municipal employees and volunteers with a copy of the Conflict of Interest Law and to obtain a signed receipt from the employee/volunteer. Additionally, all employees and volunteers must, complete an online ethics training and multiple choice exercise within 30 days of beginning public service and every 2 years thereafter.  This information and training is to ensure understanding of the Massachusetts ethics code. Upon completion of the exercise, a certificate will pop up. Employees/volunteers can either copy, paste and send the certificate of completion of the training exercise to townclerk@shutesbury.org or print and deliver certificate to the town clerk's office.
 

Required Information for Appointed and Elected Members of Shutesbury Government

People new to a board or position should get sworn in at the Town Clerk's office and I can hand you the full folder of information. For those who want to read or print themselves a copy of information sheets, the documents are linked here.

DBA information and forms

Information and forms for a DBA certificate can be found here.

License or Re-license Your Dog by Mail or In Person

      The 2019-20 Dog tags are in.  You may register your dog now. Applications will be available @ Town Meeting, and are online, (Click here) and outside the Town Clerk Office. Please remember to include proof of current rabies vaccination, your payment and a self-addressed, stamped envelope, (two first class stamps required).
      The dog license year runs from July 1 to June 30 each year. Please re-license in May or June to avoid an expired dog tag.   Early birds can avoid a late fee if their dog is registered before August 1.  New dogs are to be licensed by 6 months of age or within 30 days of residing in the Town of Shutesbury. 

Filing Marriage Intentions

The current town clerk is not a Justice of the Peace, so marriages are not performed in the Shutesbury Town Hall.  Before the marriage ceremony there is a two-step process in my office to obtain a marriage certificate to be signed by an officiant at the ceremony.  These two steps require a three -day waiting period..

In Shutesbury there is a Justice of the Peace (Irv Seidman, 259-1458)  and an officiant/minister (Dina Stander 259-9125,  https://www.dinastander.com/celebrant-services )  You can also find a list of Justices of the Peace at https://www.mjpa.org/ or use the yellow pages.

Here are the Instructions: 

First, both people come in to fill out the intention filing, take an oath, and sign the documents. This takes about 30 minutes. The intention filing is good for 60 days before it expires.  The cost for filing is $15. Certified copies of the final license are $5 /each. 

After a required three-day waiting period, only one person needs to return to proofread and pick up official copy of the license.  The license is taken to the ceremony or service and signed by the officiant who conducts the marriage.  The signed license is returned to the Town Clerk to file with the state and make certified copies for your records.   

My Town Clerk hours are: Mondays 3:00 - 7 pm, Thursday evenings 5 - 7 pm, Tuesday and Friday Mornings 8:30 – Noon, and Wednesday and Thursday, 8:30 – 10:30 am.  I am often here later, but you would need to call and check first (259-1204).

 

Order a Vital Record (Birth, Marriage or Death Certificate)

  • Submit request by phone, fax, or email townclerk@shutesbury.org.
  • Include any known information - name and date preferred.
  • Include a $5 per copy payment - cash or check made out to "Town of Shutesbury"
  • Include a self-addressed stamped envelope or you
    can pick up the certificate at the Town Clerk's office.

Search Vital Records

Genealogists are welcome to email specific inquiries. This office will evaluate what is
available and send an estimated cost to complete the research and make copies as requested.
 

News & Updates

Info and Resources

Voter Registration

The Secretary of the Commonwealth has developed an excellent tool for learning about your voter registration status, who your representatives are, links to their websites showing how to contact them, and other elections related information at the following address. If you have a zip code other than 01072 and your zip code doesn't work for your name, try putting in 01072.

http://www.sec.state.ma.us/VoterRegistrationSearch/MyVoterRegStatus.aspx

Voting For Students

For students who may be voting for the first time, or living away at school, information about how to register or where to register to vote can be helpful.