This past year has been another exciting one! I am very pleased and proud to announce my assistant Nancy Danello and I have completed an extensive 3 year program at the New England Municipal Clerks Institute and Academy towards obtaining our CMC certification.
I hope our residents are as pleased as I am with the convenience and ease of our online software. This has been a convenient way for the public to request and purchase birth, death and marriage certificates. This improvement has also been a great success for our dog owners who need to license a new dog or who must renew their yearly dog license. These document requests and payment options are available online anytime of the day, 7 days a week. To use this service, visit the town website at franklinma.gov and follow to the Town Clerk’s Department.
Population
The total population for FY2017 Census is now 33,871.
Welcome to our New Residents
We continue with our welcome letters to all new residents. Along with a census form, we also send voter registration applications at this time to encourage voter participation: We invite all new residents to stop by the Clerk’s office… it’s a nice way to meet their Town officials and be introduced to the Municipal Building and the many services that are offered here in Town. If you’d like a Voter Registration Form sent to you; just call 508-520-4900 or email (tburr@franklinma.gov) you may also register online at (www.registertovotema.com).
Businesses
A total of 275 businesses were opened or renewed in Franklin during 2017. We wish them the best of luck. All non-incorporate/DBA businesses, according to MGL, shall register with the Town Clerk prior to commencing business. This certificate is valid for four years at a charge of $40.00. Banks will send their customers to us before allowing them to open a business account. This helps us to keep our records updated. We follow up with telephone calls as a reminder!
Underground Storage Tanks/Hazardous Material
Underground storage of gasoline permits are a total of 14 and 17 hazardous material permits. No new certificates have been filed with this office by the Fire Department during 2017.
Planning /Appeal Board Applications
All applications and decisions are permanent record and may be researched at any time through the Town Clerk’s office. Elsewhere in this report you will find our index of applicants/decisions during the year 2017.
Code of Franklin
The Town of Franklin Code Book is maintained and updated through this office, both in hard copy, and on the web at www.franklinma.gov. This book contains all the rules, regulations, by-laws and acts of the Town.
Town Clerk Directory
Our Directory of Town, State and County Officials booklet is available here in the Clerk’s office. This booklet has been a very useful tool to employers, committees, managers and residents. Other publications available in the Clerk’s office are Subdivision and Zoning Regulations and Maps, Resident Listing Books.
Record Retention Schedule
I have continued to keep our records in the best possible order as mandated through the Secretary of State’s office. All of our books are bound, microfilmed and stored in the Town Clerk’s vault each year. This is the history of Franklin and its’ residents and I take pride in maintaining a filing system that continues the safety of each volume.
Vital Records
Certified records of birth, deaths and marriage records are available through the Clerk’s office. They are copied on safety paper at a charge of $10.00 for the first copy and $5.00 per additional. As a note, when you need a copy of your birth record, remember that it is always filed in the town where your mother was living at the time of your birth, the hospital community and the Office of Vital Records in Boston, MA. You can order online on the town clerks web page through Viewpoint.
Dog Licensing
We have over 4,049 registered dogs in Franklin. Dog registration is a State Law requirement. Dogs are required to be licensed to be sure that they are up to date on their rabies vaccinations. Dogs should be licensed at 6 months and older. Licenses are $20.00 (altered) $30.00 (non altered) due by April 1st of each year with a late fee of $30.00 added to the tag fee after April 1st. Residents with (4) or more dogs need to acquire a kennel license through ZBA.
Conclusion
I’m sure you will agree that our office is certainly a very busy one! We find so often that people will call our office first for information when needing assistance and we always welcome their calls and will try to assist them or send them in the right direction. It’s nice to know that people feel comfortable calling or visiting the Clerk’s office for assistance.
I would like to thank my staff, Nancy Danello, Assistant Town Clerk, Michelle Marek, Assistant Election Administrator and Susan Merullo, Administrative Assistant for their dedication and commitment. I would also like to thank the department managers and their staff for their support throughout the past year.
Respectfully submitted,
Teresa M. Burr
Town Clerk / Election Administrator
Notary Public / Justice of the Peace
You can read the full Annual Report for 2018 online
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/uploads/franklin_2018_town_report.pdf
The archive of prior year annual reports
https://www.franklinma.gov/town-clerk/pages/annual-reports
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| Franklin Annual Report - 2018: Town Clerk’s Office |
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