Note: FY 2021 is last year (July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021). The report was prepared to cover the business for the FY 2021 period. This year’s report FY 2022 (July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022) is in preparation now and is normally available for distribution at the polls for the November election. Updated - 08/15/22
The Town Clerk’s Office is dedicated to providing friendly, professional service to all our residents. I am extremely proud of how well my staff performs and responds to the demands of the office. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Dyan Fitzgerald to the department. Dyan, a resident of Bellingham, has joined us from Holliston, MA., where she had been the Assistant Town Clerk for 20 years. Please stop in and welcome Dyan to Franklin!!
The Town Clerk’s Office is also very fortunate to employ Susan Merullo, Elections Administrator. Susan has been an a tremendous asset to our office since 2017.
HISTORY TOWN CLERK OFFICE
“The office of town clerk is probably one of the oldest in municipal government. It appears in the Bible in the Book of Acts, Chapter 19, and verse 35 written in A.D. 58. A search of other early written records would no doubt reveal other instances in which mention of this office appears. In Massachusetts, town clerk was one of the earliest offices established in colonial towns although the title itself may not appear in the earliest records. The settlers were well aware of the importance of keeping accurate written records of their agreements and actions including grants of land, regulations governing animals, the collection of taxes and the
expenditure of town funds. If your town records date back to the first half of the 17th century, you will probably find that a person was given the specific duty of writing down town orders and will see many entries in the record which include the words “It is ordered by the inhabitants,” or some similar words. Indeed, in Massachusetts, the town clerk was one of the earliest offices established in colonial towns.”
ONLINE SERVICE
Our online service continues to be a success!! This has been a convenient way for the public to request and purchase birth, death and marriage certificates especially during the year of covid. 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.
NOTARY SERVICE
The Town Clerk’s office provides Notary services as a courtesy. Residents seeking Notary Services should call the Town Clerk’s office prior to their visit to ensure that the Notary is available. The following guidelines will be followed in the provision of Notary Service: - Notary Services are available during the normal business hours. Notary Service is provided on a first-come, first service basis. Please be sure to have valid government-issued photo id if you are seeking this service. Remember, the document must be signed in the presence of the Notary.
Notary Service is not available for deeds, mortgages, wills, living wills, living trusts, power of attorneys, or depositions. Certain public documents cannot be copied and notarized. For more information please visit our website. The Town Clerk , Nancy Danello, and Deputy Town Clerk, Dyan Fitzgerald are also Commissioners to qualify, which means if you are a Notary Public or a Justice of the Peace and need to be given the “Oath of Office” we can perform this service for you free of charge.
There is a whole lot more to the Town Clerk's section of this annual report but the tables and other info were not easily copied for this format.
Find the remainder of the Town Clerk's report on page 19
The full Annual Report for 2021 can be found
The collection of Annual Reports can be found online
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| Annual Report Of The Town of Franklin - FY 2021 |
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