Street List/Census Form

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WHY IS OUR ANNUAL STREET LIST/LOCAL CENSUS MAILING IMPORTANT TO RETURN?

PLANNING
We all use public services such as schools, health services, roads and libraries. These services need to be planned, and in such a way that they keep pace with fast-changing patterns of modern life. We need accurate information on the numbers of people in our community. These numbers help:

calculate the balance of young and old in our community
aid in locating our residents by safety personnel such as the Plympton Fire and Police Departments, Board of Health, and Council on Aging Director in an emergency
provide an accurate count of the population to help with calculating the size of grants allocated to local authorities such as our Dennett Elementary School, Community Preservation Committee, Land Use Officers, Highway Surveyor, Library, and Town Clerk’s Vital Statistics.

COMMUNICATION
Another important aspect of the Annual Street List/Local Census mailing is the link between the signed return response by the designated Head of Household and the occupants of the household’s registered voters. Under state law, every city and town is required to communicate with each household and compile an Annual Street List. If a voter fails to respond, they will be placed on the Inactive Voters List. The voter will be sent a confirmation notice, which the voter is asked to sign and return. The confirmation notice is meant to confirm that the voter continues to reside at the address at which he or she is registered, or if the voter has moved, update the address on file. Voters who fail to return confirmation notices will remain on the Inactive Voter List for two consecutive State/Federal Elections unless we are notified. Each inactivation involves a minimum of three mailings and costs the town approximately $3.00 to process. For reactivation, not only is the paperwork time consuming, but it represents a real hassle for voters on Election Day.

DOG LICENSING

Lastly, as a result of a Town Meeting vote in May of 2014, the period to license dogs in our community has changed to calendar year to coincide with the mailing of our Annual Street List/Local Census mailing. This change has made the licensing period easier and more clear to understand, more convenient by allowing dog owners to send both mandated items back to the Town Clerk’s Office in the same envelope, and more efficient by eliminating a second town wide mailing including postage, supplies, and time by our staff.