Posted 12-13-07

Here is a link to the OLR Report of Acts Concerning Town Clerks 2007 http://www.cga.ct.gov/2007/rpt/2007-R-0566.htm

Posted 12-03-07

A dynamic seminar "Work Style Differences" has been scheduled for January 9, 2008 at CCSU. The instructor is Dr. Kathleen Giles. The seminar will award MMC credit. The brochure and registration form have been posted in "Events" and under the "Education Committee". Class size is limited so make your reservation early!

Posted 11-17-07

Congratulations to Hamden Town Clerk Vera Morrison who acheived the distinction of Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC) from IIMC.

Posted 11-1-07

To All Connecticut Town Clerks and staff,

Connecticut will be hosting the New England Conference in November, 2011 with our own Kate Wall, Berlin Town Clerk, as NEACTC President. In order to keep conference costs down, we will utilize fundraisers and sponsor donations. We need your help to make our cookbook fundraiser a success. It is now time to submit your recipes in one of two ways – online or hardcopy. An instruction sheet is attached along with a recipe collection sheet for those preferring to submit a hardcopy. Remember, you can always have a friend submit your recipe online. Please remember to include your staff and send as recipes as you wish to share. Let’s make this cookbook great!!

Instruction Sheet

Recipe Submission Form

County VPs , I am once again asking you to pass this message along to those members in your county who do not have email. I truly appreciate your help!

Our goal is to have the cookbook ready for the April conference and reveal the winner of the Cookbook Cover contest. Each town will receive a number of cookbooks to sell. They make great birthday, Christmas, shower or hostess gifts.

I have every confidence the Connecticut Town Clerks will step up to plate and help make this one of the best New England Conferences ever!!! We have such a wonderful supportive organization.

Thank all of you in advance!

Lisa Valenti

NEACTC 2011 Fundraising Chairperson

Posted 10-17-07

Dear Fellow Town Clerks: I would like to ask the Town Clerks who have a large volume Walmarts in there town, how they process the licenses. The Walmart in my small town sells over 3000 licenses a year. I collect the money up front and hand them the licenses. But its what Town Clerks do when the license returns. Do they put them through their cash registers? Is it done in a lump sum or individual? What about voids and missing Licenses? Do they have a seperate checking account? Which I have now but the Auditor would like them to go throught the register. Do they use their register and the Town Treasurer keeps they tally and pays the state? Pleae reply back. thanks Betsy Barrett Lisbon

10-2-07

CTCA Legislative Committee member, Jeff Barske, has written an informative letter regarding our 2007 Land Records legislation going into effect one year from now, October 1, 2008. You may use this letter to send to your local recorders or include it with your returned document that is improperly formatted. You can find a copy of the sample letter in the Document Directory. Joyce Mascena and Patty Strauss

10-2-07

To all Connecticut Town Clerks & staff,

The deadline for the NEACTC cookbook cover contest has been extended to the end of October. I know everyone is busy, but we desperately need help from all of our artistic people! Remember to include your staff. Please find the time to send in a design. See the attached flyer for details. The winner will receive an acknowledgement in the cookbook and a prize.

County VP’s, please send this to those in your county who do not have email. Next week, you will be asked to submit your recipes.

Good luck and thank you! Lisa Valenti North Branford Town Clerk 203-484-6015

8-21-07

Below is a description of a new service we provide in our office. I highly recommend checking into how it can work in your office also. You do not have to be a QScend customer to work with Sallie Mae.

The citizens of Durham, CT can now pay town taxes and license fees online instead of waiting in line. The Sallie Mae^®-powered QPayments™ solution allows Durham to collect real estate, personal property and motor vehicle taxes as well as various administrative and licensing fees by credit card or electronic check (ACH). All this -- deployed at no cost to the town.

Many vendors offered potential payment solutions, but the implementation costs and maintenance fees exceeded budget restrictions. Town Clerk, Laura Francis, finally turned to Qscend, the software vendor for the town web site. Qscend, in partnership with Sallie Mae’s Business Office Solutions (BOS) team, recommended QPayments, an electronic payment solution customized to the “look and feel” of the Durham web site. The best part -- the business model. The solution was installed at no cost. To cover the program expenses, Sallie Mae charges a nominal convenience fee to residents for each online transaction.

The BOS team worked diligently with the town of Durham to ensure a successful QPayments deployment. This solution provides key benefits missing from other municipal online payment systems:

• Lower convenience fees
• Total integration into the town’s existing web site
• Robust reporting and tracking
• Top notch security
• Established relationships with credit card and banking partners
• Hundreds of reference accounts

The implementation of QPayments provides a 24/7 virtual town hall to better serve residents and relieve the pressure on town offices to accept and process mail-in and in-person payments. The result – shorter lines and improved processing times. Laura Francis sums the project up: “It is a great service to our customers to offer the choice of online payments. We have been able to service requests on line, over the phone and to those who come to the counter without any cash or checks. With the help of Sallie Mae staff, the process from inception to implementation went very smoothly. Reports are comprehensive and month end reconciliation is easy. Working with Sallie Mae has been a positive experience for staff and our residents."

The town of Durham plans to roll out QPayments to provide online payment options for building, health, engineering and recreational fees in the near future.

Posted 8-7-07

The Public Records Administrator has completed a revision of the Election Records retention schedule (M-6.) It is posted on their website at http://www.cslib.org/publicrecords/retelectors07.pdf

Posted 8-7-07

Attention

The Department of Revenue Services (DRS) has issued Form OP-236I, Line Instructions for Form OP-236 Real Estate Conveyance Tax Return, dated 07/07. These new instructions replace the existing Form OP-236, Real Estate Conveyance Tax Return, instructions listed on any forms dated 03/07 or earlier. Filers should continue to use Form OP-236 to report and pay the real estate conveyance tax, but should refer to OP-236I for instructions on how to file the return.

Form OP-236I was created in response to recent legislative changes impacting the real estate conveyance tax. A description of those changes can be found on the DRS website at www.ct.gov/DRS in publication Special Notice 2007(6), Legislative Change Affecting the Real Estate Conveyance Tax. Additional copies of Form OP-236I can be downloaded from the DRS website.

Department of Revenue Services

Public Services Unit, Audit Division

Telephone: 860-541-3225

Processing Section, Operations Division

Telephone: 860-297-4743

Posted 8-6-07

To Town Clerks

The Elections Enforcement Commission would like to remind all Town Clerk’s regarding the application of the provisions of Section 9-623(b)(3), C.G.S., which requires each candidate to file a campaign finance form with you within 10 days of becoming a candidate.

As previously stated, the 10 day period for a candidate to file his SEEC Form 1 (Candidate Committee Registration) with the Town Clerk begins with the date the party endorsements are filed with the Town Clerk for candidates who receive their party’s endorsement. For candidates who have qualified for a place on the ballot at a primary or election by petition., the ten day trigger begins on the date when the Town Clerk receives n a notice of primary from the Registrars of Voters, in the event of a primary, or the receipt of notification from Secretary of the State regarding the successful completion of nominating petitions.

In any case where a candidate who has been nominated or otherwise achieved ballot status fails to file a SEEC Form 1 within 10 days, Section 9-623(b) (3) requires the Town Clerk to “forthwith” notify the candidate, by certified mail, that there is a violation of the campaign finance laws and that is the SEEC Form 1 is not filed within 7 days after the Town Clerk mails the certified notice, the matter must be referred to the Commission. In addition, the candidate is liable for a $100 civil penalty for failing to file the SEEC Form 1 within the 10 days after nomination or qualifying for the ballot. If the matter is referred to the Commission, the penalty automatically increases to $200.

Attached is a letter which can be used by Town Clerks as a template for any notices that must be sent pursuant to Section 9-623(b)(3).

Please call us at (860)256-2940 if you have any questions

Posted 8-6-07

Attention: All CT Town Clerks

I need your help ASAP, especially the 25 pilot towns for the Optical Scan machines, or the May towns that went through elections.

Please give me your experiences of printing AB through LHS (with the Oklahoma printer) vs. Adkins (from CT) or your printer of choice

Please cite specific examples and problems with either.

I am getting the distinct impression that certain Registrars are favoring LHS over Adkins, and they have no experience with printing AB or the problems we encounter at the last minute. Please give me some ammunition. I hope this new company is not trying to create problems for CT-based companies due to their own self interest.

Thanks for helping in advance.

Vera Morrison, Town Clerk
Town of Hamden
(203) 287-7162
email: vmorrison@hamden.com

Posted 8-6-07

Asst. Town & City Clerk - City of Bristol

Salary: $25.65 - $29.25/hr. Generous benefits

Provides admin and technical support to City Clerk. Records & processes land records & vital statistics. Prepares correspondence, agendas & minutes for City Council & Joint Board meetings. Assists in administration of elections. Supervises staff. This is a 2 year appointed position.

Qual: Req Associate’s w/4 yrs relevant legal, govt. or business exp inc 2 yrs land recs & 1 yr supervisory exp OR Bachelor’s w/3 yrs exp inc 1 yr land recs & 1 yr supervisory exp. Must understand legal & vital stats records, excellent typing skills, proficient w/MS Office Suite. Must become notary public & have excellent oral & written communication skills. Applications available at www.ci.bristol.ct.us or call (860) 584-6175.

Submit application to:

City of Bristol Personnel Dept.
Attn: HC-CLK
111 N. Main St., Bristol, CT 06010

Closing: 5PM, 8/24/07

Posted 8-6-07

TOWN CLERK/TREASURER

TOWN OF WINDHAM

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

Great career opportunity! We are searching for a talented and energetic professional to lead the town clerk’s office. Duties include supervising and performing the recording, indexing, care, maintenance and access to public records in accordance to state laws and regulations. Performs duties as clerk of town meetings and maintains minutes for all boards and commissions. The preferred candidate will have excellent communication skills and any combination of education and experience equivalent to graduation from an accredited college or university with major course work in business management or related field supplemented by specialized training in record keeping, vitals and some supervisory experience. Authorizes all purchase orders from all departments, assumes responsibility for processing fees, and other monies collected, signs checks drawn against town accounts and performs other related duties. Municipal clerk certification preferred. Salary range: low 60’s with excellent benefits package. For a complete job description and job application please visit our web site at www.windhamct.com . Submit cover letter, resume and official application to the Town of Windham Personnel Department, 979 Main Street, Willimantic, CT 06226. Closing date: August 17, 2007 at 12:00 p.m.

EOE/AA.

Posted 6-27-07

I have been requested to track down Ordinances or Town Codes that deal specifically with Multi-Family Housing. If you have, please forward a copy to me. Thanks.

Ronald K. McNamara
Town Clerk/Rocky Hill
761 Old Main Street
Rocky Hill , CT 06067
Email: rmcnamara@ci.rocky-hill.ct.us
Fax#: 860-258-2787

Posted 6-26-07

2007 Certified Connecticut Town Clerks
Sherri M. Weyel	Assistant Town Clerk		Asford
Mary Higgins	Assistant Town Clerk		East Windsor
Susan C. Coutu	Town Clerk		Lebanon
Suzanne Burr Monaco	Part-time Clerk		Monroe
Debbie Aurelia	Assistant Town Clerk		Newtown
Christina Antolino	Assistant Town Clerk		Old Saybrook
Carol Jensen	Assistant Town Clerk		Tolland
Joanne C. Tiedmann	Town Clerk		Warren
Kimberly J. Correia	Assistant Town Clerk		Waterbury
Colleen E. Tarpey	Assistant Town Clerk		Westport
Lynn T. Schiessl	Assistant Town Clerk		Wethersfield

Posted 7-25-07

The SEEC's interpretation (for purposes of Sec. 9-623(b)) is that the 10 day countdown for registration of a candidate committee (as required by Section 9-604) begins when the nominations are filed with the Town Clerk. This is cleaner than basing the start of the period on the date of the town committee meetings or caucuses. Nancy Staniewicz

Posted 7-23-07

Congratulations to Therese Pac, Bristol Town and City Clerk for receiving the prestigious designation of Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC) from IIMC.

Congratulations also to Vera Morrison who graduated last week from the New England Municipal Clerks Institute at Saint Michael's, VT. She was also chosen by her classmates to deliver the graduation speech, which is quite an honor. She did a super job.

Posted 7-15-2007

Dear Fellow Clerks,

Last week was an eventful week. First, we began meeting with Staff of the Secretary of the State and Registrar of Voters leadership to review the new election legislation.

Our primary goal of these meetings is to clarify the roles of clerks and registrars as they now stand in the new law, Public Act 07-194. We expect to be done with these meetings in time to help you prepare for the upcoming election and primaries.

Second, our land record legislation, HB 7163, was signed into law by the governor. The following is a recap of the legislation.

· Releases, partial releases of assignment of a mortgage or lien and judgment liens shall not require a manual notation of such releases, partial releases of assignment of a mortgage or lien and judgment liens if such town clerk provides public access to an electronic indexing system that combines the grantor index and grantee index of the town’s land records. Effective 7/1/2007

· Each instrument for record shall have a blank margin, that shall be not less than ¾ of an inch in width, surrounding each page of the instrument. Each such instrument that is to be recorded in the land records shall have a return address and addressee appearing at the top of the front side of the first page of the instrument. Effective 10/1/2008

· Not later than January 1, 2009, each town shall provide public access to an electronic indexing system that combines the grantor index and grantee index of the town’s land records. Effective 7/1/2007

· Adds the following language, “…(4) providing public access to an electronic indexing system that combines the grantor index and the grantee index of a town’s land records…” to the CGS 11-8i to 11-8l, which establishes the criteria for applying for a State Historic Documents Preservation Grant. Effective 7/1/2007

You will be hearing more in regard to the implementation of HB 7163.

Joe Camposeo

President

Connecticut Town Clerks Association

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AUGUST 9, 2007 TOWN CLERK SCHOOL COMPUTER TRAINING

Click here for August 9, 2007 Class Registration form

Click here for August 9, 2007 Class brochure

Click here for directions to Town Clerk class

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Posted 6-29-07

I am looking for those whose towns do not have a charter. Please ask them if they have an ordiance regarding Traffic Enforcment on Private Roads, etc? Our First Selectman is looking to put something of this nature into effect. If they would forward a copy of their ordinance to us we would appreciate it. Thank you for your help.