The Legislative Committee on 3/17 and 3/20 has put forth testimony regarding S. B. No. 179, AN ACT CONCERNING THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF ASSISTANT REGISTRARS OF VITAL STATISTICS and H. B. No. 5608 AN ACT CONCERNING FEE INCREASES FOR CERTAIN VITAL RECORDS, AND LIFETIME FISHING AND HUNTING LICENSES FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES. To read the complete text of the submissions, please go to the Town Clerk Home Page, click on "Association Committees" in the left-hand tool bar, then "Legislative & Elections Committee" and then "Testimony." The latest submission will be on the top of the page.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact Patty Strauss at pstrauss@westportct.gov or Joyce Mascena at mascena@glasct.org. On behalf of the entire Legislative Committee, we wish to thank all of you that have already submitted comments and feedback to us. We value your opinions.

 

Posted 3-21-06

The CTCA Executive Board has approved a resolution that "allows City/Town Clerks to purchase name pins for their Assistant(s).  Cost is $9.00 each........

    
The purchasing of identification pins for Assistants will be the responsibility of the City/Town Clerk.   She or he is responsible for getting the names, and a check to me by April 29, 2006.  Cost of pins is $9.00 each.
 
Please forward name and town as per sample:
                          Brenda Crosby
                Assistant City Clerk, Meriden
NO ORDERS WILL BE PROCESSED IF NAMES AND PAYMENT IS NOT
           RECEIVED BY APRIL 29TH.
                    
County VPs - Please forward to all with no email

Irene G. Massé, MMC 
142 East Main Street
Meriden, CT  06450
Phone (203) 630-4035
Fax (203) 630-4059
Email:
imasse@ci.meriden.ct.us

=

Posted 3-18-06

The Southbury Crown Plaza is requesting the tax exemt form to be faxed 1 week in advance.  Please fax to Renata at the Crown Plaza at 203-598-0492.  Bring a copy when to also present at check-in time.  The form can be downloaded from the Conference Information Page of the website.

Posted 3/13/2006

The Legislative Committee today has put forth testimony on elections related bills as well as the lifetime fishing licenses for person with disabilities.  To read the complete text of the submissions, please go to the Town Clerk Home Page, click on "Association Committees" in the left-hand tool bar, then "Legislative & Elections Committee" and then "Testimony."  The latest submission will be in the beginning.

A Public hearing in regard to S. B. No. 179, AN ACT CONCERNING THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF ASSISTANT REGISTRARS OF VITAL STATISTICS, is scheduled for this Friday, 3/17, with another one on Monday, 3/20, regarding H. B. No. 5608 AN ACT CONCERNING FEE INCREASES FOR CERTAIN VITAL RECORDS, AND LIFETIME FISHING AND HUNTING LICENSES FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES, and testimony for both days will we posted when completed. 

If you have any questions or comments, please contact Patty Strauss at pstrauss@westportct.gov or Joyce Mascena at mascena@glasct.org.  Thank you.

 

Posted 3-13-06
To the members of the Connecticut Town Clerks' Association
     As I finish packing and prepare for this move to Ohio, you are all on my mind.  It has been such a rewarding experience to be a member of a group of people who are truly dedicated to their towns and to public service and who willingly share with each other their knowlege and experience. 
     It has been a year of changes for me and I want to thank each of you for the many letters of sympathy, support, and then good wishes as I moved through the adjustments in my life this past seven months.   Thank you to those who called, sent notes or took time to come to Windsor on January 13, as I handed the reigns in the Clerk's office over to Agnes Pier.  I didn't expect a farewell gathering and was truly overwhelmed by your good wishes and gifts.  Thanks to all of you, I am looking forward to many rounds of golf at Yankee Trace this season.
     To fill you in on my progress, I sold my house - the movers will pick up my furniture on Tuesday and I will be on the road to Ohio early Thursday morning.  If anyone wants to keep in touch (or if I owe you money) my new address is 401 Willowood Drive, Springboro, Ohio 45066 - my email address should stay the same.  I should have a new cell by the following week and the number will be 937-231-2002.
 Before I go, I want to leave you all with a gift of free education!  There is a FEMA web site that offers Distance Education courses at no cost.  I took a course in January, so I know that it is easy and truly no charge.  Toni Brandt of IIMC recommended this web site to me.  A completed course will earn you CMC or MMCA Advanced Education points.  If you have any questions, I will try to answer them. The link is http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/crslist.asp 
     I will watch the CT Clerks web site to keep up with changes in your lives and hope to see you at Anaheim CA in May.  (Dan, don't forget to pack your toothpaste!) Kathy Quin 
Posted 3-9-06

Connecticut Town Clerks and Assistants,

For those of you who were not able to attend the workshop "Establishing and Managing Successful Records Management Programs" sponsored by the Office of the Public Records Administrator on June 14, 2005, another opportunity to attend this educational conference is available on May 16, 2006 at Foxwoods. Dr. Mark Langemo who spoke at our workshop in 2005 will be conducting a similar session. This program is sponsored by the Connecticut and Ocean State Chapters of ARMA International. Please see the brochure for information about the speaker, conference agenda, registration information, and ARMA. It is an excellent workshop and will be beneficial to you as many of you are in the process of developing records management programs in your municipalities.

Registration Form

LeAnn Johnson Public Records Grant Program Specialist

Posted 3-7-08
Norwalk Town Clerk Andy Garfunkel is the King of Siam!  Click on this link to find out more information
 http://www.norwalkadvocate.com/news/local/scn-sa-king1mar03,0,916313.story
Posted 3-7-06
 

As your Connecticut representatives to the Board of Directors for NEMCI&A, Laura Francis, Durham Town Clerk and I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to what promises to be a year full of education, fun, and surprises. As you may be aware, the Board voted at the New England Conference in November to move the Institute & Academy to St. Michael’s College in Colchester, VT. With the change of location has come a number of exciting changes. This year all students (both Institute and Academy) will finish their classes on Thursday at 3 p.m. The previous year students spoke about the desire to have time to prepare for the graduation and the Board heard you.Another change is the Graduation program. This year graduation will take place prior to the dinner. This will give everyone (especially those graduating the ability to relax and enjoy your dinner).

 

For those of you who have gone through Institute and are in the Academy program, we have great new courses.

 

Academy C – “Fit for Duty” will explore the mind with Frank; your stress level with Walter; Kate will keep you at the top of your game; Jim and Tom will get you physically ready;  and Clyde will analyze with Academy’s C and D the effects of Hurricane Katrina.

 

Academy D – “Municipal Disaster Response and the Clerk” Agnes will teach you that the Press is your friend; Dan Issa will show you how to lobby to change those laws that only make your job more difficult; Vermont Reps from Emergency Management will discuss the Bird Pandemic; and Jim and Tom will teach crowd management and evacuations.

 

Of course, we have Al and John both teaching computer courses. The MS Access class was a great success last year and promises to be just a great this year. Al is the best; what more can I say.

 

Because we relocated to VT, we had to move the week for Institute and Academy to July 9-14. If you prefer to go back to the August timeframe, make sure that you complete the evaluation at the end of the week.

 

While we completely understand the issue with budgets and the short turnaround time before NEMCI&A begins, but we are asking you to please take the time to complete the application and get it submitted as early as possible. If you wish to submit a $50 deposit, you may, but it is not required.

 

It is our hope and wish that you will consider participating in a historical moment (when we moved from RI to VT) and enjoying a very exciting and education program."

Look forward to seeing all of you in July, Kate Wall, Institute Director, NEMCI

 

Posted 3-7-2006
LEGISLATION
The Leglisaltive Committee has submitted testimony in regard to numerous bills this legislative season.  To read the complete text of the submissions, please go toTown Clerk Home Page, click on "Association Committees" in the left-hand tool bar, then "Legislative & Elections Committee" and then "Testimony."  Public hearings for elections legislation are scheduled for next week and testimony will we posted when completed.  If you have any questions or comments, please contact Patty Strauss at pstrauss@westportct.gov or Joyce Mascena at mascena@glasct.org.  Thank you.
 
Posted 3-6-06
There are 3 documents at http://www.ctclerks.com//content/1322/1768/default.aspx from Jeff Garfield of the State Elections Enforcement Commission regarding the survey he took on the new absentee ballot procedures.  Please review them.  We are in the process of setting up a chat room discussion regarding this topic for sometime on March 29.  I will contact you when that is confirmed.  In the mean time, you should make sure you are registered in the chat room.  If you cannot remember you password, you are going to have to re-register.  Make sure you select a new user name.  Please save your user name and password after that.
Posted 3-1-06

Are there any Town Clerk's offices that take charge cards (debit cards) as payment?  If so, how is it set up?
Thank you.

Sharon A. Miller, CMC Town Clerk
740 Main St. East Hartford, CT 06108 Tel:   860-291-7235 Fax:  860-291-7238  smiller@ci.east-hartford.ct.us

Posted 2-28-06
The first of the conference forms is now available to download from the Conference Information page and the Calendar of Events.  Chic Spinelli, Town Clerk of Waterbury needs responses as soon as possible for the Wednesday night event.  On Wednesday, April 26th from 5:15-7:30 there will be tours of the beautiful Palace Theatre followed by Light Fare and Entertainment in the Poli Club.  Entertainment wil consist of a Vocal Performance featuring tunes from Popular Broadway Musicals.  This event if free of charge.  You may extend your evening at the Palace by purchasing tickets for the "Van Zant Concert" to be held at 7:30. Tickets must be reserved with Chic by April 7th.   For more information, click on the link to the form on the conference page.
Posted 2-24-06
To All Town Clerks

 

The topic of MERS has arisen once again. Professor Samuel Schrager is our new instructor for land records and is a real estate attorney as well. Professor Schrager reviewed the MERS statute. He has advised us to index the lender as well as the nominee MERS on documents that contain both names. Beginning March 1, 2006 all offices should index the lender’s name in addition to the nominee MERS if the lender’s name appears on the document. You will be receiving an updated land records chapter at the conference to reflect this change – one per town/city.

 

Under the heading “Mortgages”, the section entitled “Mortgage Electronic Registration System” will read as follows:

 

The intent of this system is that a mortgage is written by a lender and assigned to MERS within the same instrument. However, most mortgages contain the name of the LENDER in addition to MERS as the nominee. Index BOTH the lender and MERS as grantees. (7-25).

 

County Vice Presidents, please be sure to mail or fax this e-mail to the towns/cities in your county without e-mail.

 

Connecticut State Certification Committee Lisa Valenti, Chairperson

Posted 2-24-06
The Winter 2006 issue of the Vital Times can be found in the DPH page under ST of CT Agency News
Posted 2-24-06
NEW CTCA NAME PINS !

We are ordering NEW name pins for ALL Connecticut City/Town Clerks. These pins will be distributed at the New Haven County Spring Conference in April. It is imperative that I receive: your name, designation, title, & municipality. Please E-MAIL - FAX or MAIL your information to me immediately in order for me to get these made up in time to be distributed. “No phone calls - information must be sent in writing”.

MMC = Master Municipal Clerk    CMC = Certified Municipal Clerk    CCTC = Certified Connecticut Town Clerk

Sample > Irene G. Massé, MMC

City and Town Clerk, Meriden, CT

Respond to: Irene G. Massé, City Clerk 142 East Main Street, Meriden, CT 06450 email: imasse@ci.meriden.ct.us

FAX: 203-630-4059

Posted 2-24-06
Congratulations to Leslie G. Cotton, Southington Town Clerk who has received the Master Municipal Clerk designation through the IIMC Master Municipal Clerk Academy Program.  Leslie has been an IIMC member since January 1994 and has attended 9 IIMC conferences.  She is a member of the Association of Records Managers and Administrators and serves as Hartford County Vice-President.  She is the immediate Past President of the New England Association of City and Town Clerks.
Posted 2-15-06
 

I am interested in knowing the vacation policy in other towns. How many weeks vacation does the town give and what is the increase in the number of days in association with the number of years of service? Cathy Nurmi, Sterling Town Clerk

 

Posted 2-15-06
Attention all clerks who handle passports.  The Durham Town Clerk's office just purchased a digital passport photo system.  We now offer a full service passport processing center.  The camera is easy to use and the revenue is already streaming in.  We charge $10.00 for the service.  The camera was purchased from Pakor, Inc.  For more information visit http://www.pakor.com/web-pakor.com/servlet/PakorCatalog  If you call Pakor, Inc. ask for Paul Hedrington. We got a little help from our IT consultant to set it up and we were in business the same day it was delivered.  Good Luck!  Laura Francis
Posted 2-6-06
The results of the 2006 Salary Survey have been posted in the Document Directory.  Thank you to Cathy Nurmi, Town Clerk of Sterling for her hard work.
 
 
Posted 1-31-06
Congratulations to Suzanne Burr Monaco, Former Trumbull Town Clerk who has been awarded the designation of "Certified Municipal Clerk" from IIMC.  Suzanne is a recent graduate of the New England Municipal Clerks Institute.
Posted 1-30-06
Congratulations to Sara D'Elia,Putnam Town Clerk first on her marriage to Barney Seney and second on her appointment as the Town Clerk in Killingly.  Sara will take on her new position the first week of March.
Posted 1-30-06
Please visit the State Elections Enforcement Commission page under ST of CT Agency News section to view a FAQ sheet regarding Town Committee Primaries 2006.
Posted 1-26-06
As a public service, the Connecticut Town Clerks Association will have an exhibit booth at the New England Bridal Showcase.

The event takes place at Mohegan Sun’s Uncas Ballroom on Sunday, February 12th between 11am and 5pm.

Our purpose is to inform couples about the requirements for obtaining a marriage license, especially with regard to

recent changes in the law. Over 3,000 brides have attended this bridal expo for the past two years, most of whom are

Connecticut residents. Any amount of time volunteered will be greatly appreciated.

For more information about volunteering for this public service, please contact Assistant City Clerk Dawn Rahilly

at New London City Hall (860) 447-5205. You may also obtain more info about the show at nebridalshowcase.com

Posted 1-25-06
The powerpoint presentation that ST of CT Registrar of Vital Statistics Beth Frugale presented at Town Clerks Academy in December is in the Document Directory under Education.  This is a good study tool for those who will sit for the certification exam in June and a good refresher for the rest of us.
Posted 1-24-06
If anyone is planning a study group (for the June certification test) within a 20 mile radius of Prospect, please contact Rose Paolino, Prospect Assistant Town Clerk at town.clk.prospect@snet.net.
Posted 1-21-06
There was a mistake in the first version of the 2006 Dues Invoice in the document directory.  The correct fee structure is now on the form.  There are two versions, one in pdf format and one in word doc.  Sorry for the inconvenience.
Posted 1-12-06
It is membership dues time for CTCA.  Please download the 2006 Membership Dues form on the Document Directory and mail it to Sarah Becker, Secretary, Old Saybrook Town Clerk
Posted 1-9-06
I am available to work as a full-time temp in any town clerk's office that is in need of coverage due to illness, vacations, to help out with special projects, clearing up backlogged documents, etc.  It is a lot easier to plug someone in who can pretty much hit the ground running and just needs to learn the nuances of the office vs. hiring a temp who may only be able to answer a telephone.  I would work as a private contractor, I can index, scan, transcribe minutes, besides the day to day duties.   
 
I can be reached at 203-265-4498 (home) and 203-213-4012 (cell).  I am available to start after January 2nd. Kathryn Zandri, former Town Clerk of Wallingford
 
Posted 1-5-06
TOWN CLERKS!!  I wanted to be sure you understood that this does not stop the process to move forward with an electronic voting machine nor does it mean we will be penalized any Federal funds.
 
This is a one year delay is what it comes down to.  Danaher Controls which was the finalist did not have Federal certification as they had led the state to believe.  The good news is that more companies have become certified and so there are more choices out there.
Sandra Hutton Russo, C.M.C.  sandra.hutton@cityofmiddletown.com
Posted 1-5-06

To: All Town Clerks:

From: Michael Kozik, Managing Attorney, Legislation & Election Administration Division, Connecticut Secretary of the State

Date: January 4, 2006

Re: Voting Machines to be used in 2006 election

 

This is just a quick note to give you a heads-up on breaking news; more details will follow later.

 

Today Secretary Bysiewicz announced that she is stopping the current process to purchase new voting machines, and that lever machines will be used in the 2006 elections.

 

The current purchasing process was stopped because no vendor could meet all requirements of Federal and State law and the current Request for Proposal. This only became clear in the process of attempting to negotiate a contract with the highest scoring vendor and after analyzing the feedback from the public demonstrations and the focus groups. This decision was reached, after consultation with the Attorney General and the Department of Administrative Services, the agency that oversees state contracting.

 

We will continue our efforts to find a voting machine that complies with all requirements of state and Federal law. In an effort to open the process to the most recent innovations, we be writing to all voting machine companies in the country, asking them if how they can comply with those requirements or how they expect to do so in the near future.

 

Therefore, you should prepare to use lever voting machines in all primaries, elections and referenda in 2006. This means that you should prepare to examine, repair, and set-up lever voting machines as you have in the past.

 

 

Posted 1-4-06

January 13th will be Kathy Quin's retirement after 20 years.  The Windsor Town clerk's office will be having an open house that afternoon from 12:00PM to 5:00PM, serving  cake & coffee with a small presentation at 3:00PM.  Please came and say goodbye. 

Kathy as said that in her retirement she wants to play with her grandchildren in Ohio, play bridge & play golf.  Fitting into this plan we intend to give Kathy a gift certificate to Tee times at a golf course in Ohio.  If you would like to contribute there is a card to sign and an envelope in the Windsor Town clerk's office or contact Agnes Pier at 860-285-1901 or pier@townofwindsorct.com.  Agnes Pier

Posted 1-3-06
Land Protection, Affordable Housing & Historic Preservation Account - PA 05-228 
The Connecticut State Treasury is reporting some concerns about the new report from Town Clerks for fees collected since PA 05-228 came into  effect.

The Town Clerks should report the number of documents recorded as well  as  the number of documents on which fees were collected. In a random
check  with the State Library, the Treasury found that as many as 50% of the towns  are reporting different numbers to the Library than the ones they
report to  the Treasury.  The reporting forms are virtually identical to each other, except for the dollar amounts collected, retained and paid to the state.



The number of documents on which fees were collected should be exactly the same on both forms. It is advisable to have both of these reports
completed at the same time, by the same person to prevent this kind of error. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Donna King at
the State Treasurer's Office (860) 702-3287.