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Town Clerk News

DEADLINES FOR TOWN MEETING 2023

Voter-backed petitions for articles to be included in the 2023 annual Town Meeting warning are due no later than January 19, 2023. Petitions must include at least 5% (or approximately 210 signatures) of registered voters to comply with State Statutes. Please submit all petitions to the clerk’s office.

As of January 19, 2023 (deadline to submit voter-backed petitions), the Town Clerk’s Office received the following petitions to be included in the 2023 annual Town Meeting warning:

“Shall the Town vote to exempt from taxation, for a period not to exceed five (5) years, the real estate of the Manchester Rod and Gun Club located at 487 Recreation Park Road in the Town of Manchester?” (rec’d 11/23/2022);

“Shall the Town vote to appropriate $87,000 for the support of the Northshire Day School to provide services to the residents of the town?” (rec’d 1/10/2023)

“Shall the Town vote to exempt from taxation, for a period not to exceed five (5) years, the real estate of the Eagles, Fraternal Order of Battenkill Aerie # 2551 located at 1610 Depot Street in the Town of Manchester?”

As of January 19, 2023 (deadline to submit level-funded appropriation requests), the Town Clerk’s Office received the following level-funded requests from social service agencies to be included in the 2023 annual Town Meeting warning:

Manchester Community Library ($243,740)

VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region ($10,000)

Southwestern Council on Aging ($4,000)

Tutorial Center ($2,500)

Bennington Area Habitat for Humanity ($2,400)

GNAT-TV ($2,000)

Center for Restorative Justice ($2,000)

Project Against Violent Encounters ($1,850)

BROC Community Action ($1,811)

Green Mountain Retired Senior Volunteer Program ($1,500)

Neighbor to Neighbor ($1,500)

The Collaborative ($1,000)

Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired ($500)

Vermont Center for Independent Living ($420)

Northshire Day School ($87,000) – petition submitted to conform with Selectboard 2021 COVID stipulations.

Petitions and consent forms for all local offices up for election are due no later than January 30, 2023.

Local Offices up for election in 2023 include:

  • Moderator – 1 year seat (Incumbent: W. Michael Nawrath)
  • Selectboard – 2 year seat (Incumbent: Jan Nolan)
  • Selectboard – 3 year seat (Incumbent: Ivan Beattie)
  • Trustee of Public Funds – 3 year seat  (Incumbent: Marie Ferrarin)

As of January 25, 2023, the Town Clerk’s Office received the following consent forms and petitions for local office:

Selectboard – 2 year: Janet Nolan (rec’d 12/21/2022);

Trustee of Public Funds – 3 yr.: Marie Ferrarin (rec’d 01/03/2023)

Selectboard – 3 year: Ivan Beattie (rec’d 1/13/2023)

Selectboard – 3 year: Megan Amundson (rec’d 1/25/2023)

OTHER IMPORTANT DATES REGARDING TOWN MEETING 2023:

Town Floor Meeting: Saturday, March 4, 2023 1:00pm at Manchester Elementary Middle School (80 Memorial Drive)

Last day to request an absentee ballot: Monday, March 6, 2023 **Ballots will not be mailed to all active, registered voters. Please visit https://mvp.vermont.gov/ to request your ballot today!***

Voting by Australian Ballot: Tuesday, March 7, 2023 8:00am – 7:00pm @ Manchester Town Hall (40 Jeff Williams Way, Manchester Center, VT 05255)

Board of Civil Authority Meeting Scheduled for August 30, 2023 at 5:00pm

Notice of Meeting – Board of Civil Authority

Manchester Town Hall

August 30, 2023 5:00 P.M.

Notice is hereby given that the Manchester Board of Civil Authority will hold an organizational meeting on the evening of Wednesday, August 30, 2023 at 5:00 P.M. in the Town Clerk’s Office at Manchester Town Hall.

Anita L. Sheldon, CVC

Manchester Town Clerk

Clerk/Board of Civil Authority

CC:

BCA Members

Town Agent

3 public places

AGENDA

  1. Call meeting to order
  2. Elect a chair and vice chair
  3. Adopt Application for Grievance Hearing
  4. Adopt Informational Handout for Property Tax Assessment Hearings
  5. Adopt Rules of Conduct and Procedure
  6. Approve minutes of October 25, 2021
  7. Schedule Tax Assessment Appeal Grievance Hearings
  8. Designate Inspection Committee Teams
  9. Complete Biennial Purge
  10. Other business
  11. Adjournment

Board of Abatement Meeting Scheduled for Wednesday, August 30, 2023

Notice of Meeting – Board of Abatement

Manchester Town Hall

August 30, 2023 4:30 P.M.

Notice is hereby given that the Manchester Board of Abatement will hold an organizational meeting on the evening of August 30, 2023 at 4:30 P.M. in the Town Clerk’s Office at Manchester Town Hall.

Anita L. Sheldon, CVC

Manchester Town Clerk

Clerk/Board of Abatement

CC:

BCA Members

Town Assessor

Town Agent

3 public places

AGENDA

  1. Call meeting to order
  2. Elect chair and vice chair
  3. Approve minutes of April 13, 2022
  4. Abatement Hearing – Paul Wheeler (Fire at 100 Back Nine Bluff)
  5. Other business
  6. Adjournment

UPCOMING RABIES VACCINATION CLINICS

UPCOMING RABIES CLINICS IN THE AREA:


3/20/2023 4pm – 5:30pm at the Danby Town Clerk’s Office


3/23/2023 9am -10:30am at the Green Mountain Veterinary Hospital’s Londonderry Office

Please license your pups prior to April 1st to avoid late fees.

*If you are aware of additional rabies clinic in the area, please email a.sheldon@manchester-vt.gov. Thank you!*

RABIES CLINIC

When: Friday, February 17, 2023 4:00PM – 6:00PM

Where: East Dorset Fire Department (341 Village St. East Dorset, VT)

There will be a rabies clinic at the East Dorset Fire Department on Friday, February 17, 2023 from 4pm to 6pm. Please make sure all animals are on a leash or caged. The rabies clinic is open to all cats and dogs regardless of residence. Manchester and Dorset residents may also license their pups at the rabies clinic. We thank Green Mountain Veterinary Hospital for volunteering their time to assist the Manchester and Dorset Town Clerks with the rabies clinic. Please contact the Town Clerk’s Office with questions: (802) 362 1313 x 1 OR (802) 713 8056.

DOG LICENSES

Dog licenses must be renewed on or before April 1st each year. Please obtain your dog’s license soon to avoid late fees.

Town Clerk’s Office 2022


2022: The year we recorded 2,305 land and town records; recorded 19 mylars; recorded 31 birth records and
71 death records; issued 156 marriage licenses; licensed 554 altered dogs and 75 unaltered dogs; approved 35 1st
class liquor licenses, 17 2nd class liquor licenses, 20 3rd class liquor licenses, 1 4th class liquor license and 33 outside
consumption permits; conducted 3 elections; issued over 160 motor vehicle registration renewals; issued over 50
green mountain passports; notarized in excess of 415 documents; sold 87 fish and game licenses and add-on tags,
filed 8 land postings; checked in 3 harvested deer; had a vault inspection by the Vermont Historical Records Program;
and launched the clerk’s portion of the town website (clerk.manchester-vt.gov), providing constituents and visitors
with additional online resources related to the clerk’s office and the various services offered by this office.
Town and school articles and races were voted by Australian ballot with 962 voters of 3,725 casting a ballot
in Manchester. 946 voters of 3,775 cast a ballot in the Primary Election and 2,242 voters of 3,838 cast a ballot in the
General Election. We thank our active Justices of the Peace, community volunteers and staff in the clerk’s office for
their dedication to democracy. Please assist the Town Clerk and the Board of Civil Authority by updating your voter
information annually online at https://mvp.vermont.gov.
Dog licenses are now available for 2023 and must be obtained prior to April 1 st to avoid late fees. Licenses are
available in the clerk’s office or by mail. Feel free to call, email or visit the clerk’s website for additional information,
including information on upcoming rabies vaccination clinics in the area.
In April, Vermont Historical Records Program (VHRP) Roving Archivist, Sally Blanchard-O’Brien, visited the
clerk’s office and received a tour of our ADA compliant records storage vault and discussed current challenges and
goals for the future. The report showed we are doing great work to preserve permanent records and provided
suggestions on areas of improvement, most notably a comprehensive emergency preparedness plan.
I’d like to thank former Assistant Town Clerk, Laura Streiber, for her five years of service and steadfast
dedication to the Town of Manchester. Laura is missed in the clerk’s office and I wish her the best in future
endeavors.
With legislation constantly changing, continued education is essential for employees to stay current on state
statutes and new requirements relating to the clerk profession. Due to your support, I had the privilege of
representing Manchester at the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC) Region I Meeting in Sturbridge, MA
in March, the Vermont Municipal Clerks’ and Treasurers’ Association (VMCTA) annual conference in Fairlee, VT in
September, and the New England Association of City and Town Clerks’ (NEACTC) annual conference in Chatham, MA
in November. I appreciate the opportunity to serve on the various boards with other clerks as passionate and
invested in their community as we are here in Manchester. Lastly, I was able to complete the rigorous 3-year New
England Municipal Clerks’ Institute program in July and was awarded the General Code Scholarship award by my
graduating class, demonstrating a commitment to the municipal clerk’s profession and ideals. I look forward to
continuing education and working toward obtaining the designation of Master Municipal Clerk. Thank you for the
opportunity to serve as your Town Clerk and for your continued enthusiasm, patience, support and understanding as
we continue working toward our ‘new normal.’ As always, I encourage your feedback for the betterment of our
municipality.
Respectfully submitted,
Anita L. Sheldon, CMC/CVC
Town Clerk

2022 Births
Female 11
Male 20
TOTAL 31

2022 Deaths
Female 41
Male 30
TOTAL 71

Marriage Licenses Issued in 2022

Massachusetts 35 Ohio 2
New York 30 Rhode Island 2
Manchester, VT 17 Washington DC 2
New Jersey 16 Arlington, VT 1
Connecticut 16 Colorado 1
Florida 7 Dorset, VT 1
New Hampshire 5 Fairfax, VT 1
California 4 Maine 1
Illinois 3 Maryland 1
Pennsylvania 3 Michigan 1
Virginia 3 North Bennington, VT 1
North Carolina 2

TOTAL 156

2023 DOG LICENSES ARE AVAILABLE! License your pup(s) today!

2023 Dog licenses are available in the Town Clerk’s Office and by mail. Click here (https://clerk.manchester-vt.gov/dog-licenses-2/) for additional information on how you may renew a dog license in the Town of Manchester.

** Please note: All dogs and wolf-hybrids must be licensed annually on or before April 1st to avoid late fees**

Statement regarding COTT Systems, Inc.

“On December 26, 2022, Cott Systems, Inc. (“Cott”), our land records management provider, began experiencing technical difficulties which were determined to be the result of a cyber incident. We have been assured that all efforts are being made to confirm our data is secure prior to resuming services. With the assistance of third-party cyber forensic specialists, efforts to resume operations will continue 24/7 until Manchester is fully functional. Cott Systems understands that this is a critical situation and has assured us that the ongoing efforts are necessary to protect our data to the fullest extent possible. We will provide further updates as they are available. Thank you all for your patience and understanding.”

Please note: Manchester has index cards available from 1761 to 2004, a printed grantor index from 2004 – December 2022 and day book pages available from 12/22/2022 to current. Please stop by the clerk’s office if you would like to search title.