Town of Brookline FY22 Program Budget
Administration and Finance l Town Clerk
Program Description
The Town Clerk is elected to a three-year term by the citizens of the Town. The Department has three subprograms - Public Records, Elections, and Voter Registration - that are mandated by Federal and State statutes and Town By-Laws to record, implement, compile, and preserve the actions and directives of the Town's executive and legislative branches. The principal duties of the office are to maintain factual public records and to administer fair and accurate elections. The Department's responsibilities also include secretarial duties for the Board of Registrars of Voters.
A brief description of each of the subprograms is as follows:
Public Records - Duties include the keeping of the Town Seal and all official records of the Town; maintaining all rules, regulations, and by-laws governing the Town's various boards, departments, commissions, and committees; certifying Town Meeting actions and official documents; performing oaths of office; recording all births, deaths, and marriages and issuing certified copies of same; issuing licenses, permits, certificates, and renewals.
Elections - The Town Clerk is the mandated authority for conducting federal, state, and local elections. The Town Clerk serves as the custodian of the voting machines and is responsible for the supervision and instruction of over 200 election workers in the use of those machines and in laws pertinent to their duties. The Town Clerk is required to provide certified election results to the Office of the Secretary of State, the Bureau of Accounts, and numerous other governing bodies and agencies.
Voter Registration - The Town Clerk serves as an ex-officio member of the Board of Registrars of Voters. Duties include registering all eligible residents of the Town as voters, producing a street list of the residents of the Town, and certifying signatures of registered voters of the Town on nomination papers of candidates for federal, state, and local office, as well as referendum and initiative petitions.
FY22 Objectives
- Increase staff Training
- Purchase Software to maintain the Town's Bylaws
- Purchase software to maintain election workers information
- Redistrict precincts based on the 2020 census
- Implement inventory control system
- Reorganize the files in the office, vault and other spaces
- Establish written protocol for various services- Vital records, Dogs, Elections
FY21 Accomplishments
- Provided a safe environment for in person voting during Covid
- Successfully implemented mail in voting for the Town Election.
- Provided all services during Covid except Marriage Licenses