Annual report of the Town of Hampton, New Hampshire

TOWN CLERK'S REPORT
Looking out the window on a gray day I see the clouds that promise the
first snow of the winter season. The holiday candles are lit and the town takes
part in the festivities that signal the end of another year.
This has been a busy twelve months at the town clerks office. The
overall growth in the economy was reflected in Hampton as more residents
purchased and registered new vehicles. We registered almost 3600 new vehicles
during the year. Beginning in January we started distributing the newly designed
New Hampshire license plate. Right now our office is home to more than 2300
plates. That's only an estimated one month supply! All vehicles having PASS
and IPASS plates will be getting the new style this year. It took a lot of
discussion between the town clerks, the state and our software companies, but
we will still be able to offer renewals by mail this year. The state is absorbing
the cost of mailing the plates and the software companies have revised our
programs. Check your renewal notice for more information, and please let us
know if you have moved within Hampton so we can update our records.
The three elections kept us occupied the entire year as we prepared for
the town election in March, the Primary in September, and the General Election
in November. Each time we processed up to 370 absentee ballots. The
cooperation given to us by the school personnel made the transition to Marston
school smooth. Thanks to Al Jackson, Facilities
Manager, for making us feel
welcome, to Tom Gudaitus of the Police Department for his technical assistance
in linking up our computers, and to Paul Lessard for coordinating all of the
many different factions that make up an election.
It is good to see so many boat owners taking advantage of our renewal
service. Our boat registrations continue to hover around the three hundred
mark. Remember that all the tax money collected in Hampton stays here!
Because of the State regulations requiring signatures by the owner, all new
registrations must be done in person.
April is the month to license your dog. The fees are $6.50 for a
neutered animal or a puppy, and $9.00 for a non-neutered animal.
This can be
done by mail as long as the dog's rabies vaccination is on file with us. If you
have questions just give us a call, and we'll be glad to answer them for you.
Please include a self addressed stamped envelope for us to return the tags.
The primary function of the town clerks office is one of filing,
recording, and maintaining records. We have records dating back to the 1600's
when Hampton was part of the British colonies. These books have been
carefully preserved through the efforts of previous clerks. I am happy to state
this practice will continue with the help of the Heritage Commission. Along
with members of the commission, I have been inspecting and classifying books
that are beginning to show signs of age. These books will be restored or
repaired, and preserved for future generations.
This year marked the passing of former town clerk, Helen Hayden.
Helen served as town clerk during the fifties, sixties, and early seventies and
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