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Board of Civil Authority & Justices of the Peace
Agendas & Minutes
Agendas are available prior to the meetings. Minutes are available following approval.
View Most Recent Agendas and Minutes
Justices of the Peace (JOP) Members (2021 to 2023)
- Kelly Adams (performs marriages)
Address: 7 Kings Court
Phone: 802-878-3588
Email Kelly Adams - Anthony Barr (performs marriages)
Address: 36 West Street
Phone: 518-441-9013
Email Anthony Barr - Alyssa Black (performs marriages)
Address: PO Box 9141, Essex 05451
Phone: 802-598-1026
Email Alyssa Black - Rajan Chawla
Address: 21 Warner Avenue
Phone: 802-578-7466
Email Rajan Chawla - Diane Clemens (performs marriages)
Address: 15 Williams Street
Phone: 802-238-0510
Email Diane Clemens - Bernard Couture
Address: 9 Redwood Terrace
Phone: 802-879-7332
Email Bernard Couture - Tracey Delphia (performs marriages)
Address: 291 Old Stage Road
Phone: 802-598-3168
Email Tracey Delphia - Betsy Dunn (performs marriages)
Address: 2 Cindy Lane
Phone: 802-878-6628
Email Betsy Dunn
- Vincent "Vince" Franco
Address: 2 Greenfield Road Ext. H4
Phone: 802-343-3933
Email Vince Franco - Dylan Giambatista
Address: 12 Arlington Street
Phone: 802-734-8841
Email Dylan Giambatista - Dawn Hill-Fleury (performs marriages)
Address: 9 Saybrook Road
Phone: 802-878-7622
Email Dawn Hill-Fleury - Ryan McLaren (performs marriages)
Address: 38 Drury Drive
Phone: 860-235-9095
Email Ryan McLaren - Patrick Murray (performs marriages)
Address: 15 Briar Lane
Phone: 802-598-9859
Email Patrick Murray - Linda Myers (performs marriages)
Address: 51 Forest Road
Phone: 802-878-3514 - Brian Shelden (performs marriages)
Address: PO Box 8225, Essex 05451
Phone: 917-922-1468
Email Brian Shelden
Overview
The Board of Civil Authority is a quasi-judicial 21 member board consisting of fifteen Justices of the Peace, the Selectboard members and the Town Clerk. The Board’s duties are serving as an election official and assisting on Election Day and sitting on tax appeals and serving as a members of the board of tax abatement. Meetings are held on an as needed basis after being duly warned by the clerk.
The Board of Abatement consists of the Selectboard, Justices of the Peace, Assessor, Treasurer and Town Clerk. The meetings are a quasi-judicial proceedings that falls under the open meeting law 1 V.S.A. § 312. Tax Abatements are not tax appeals. There are no deadlines for an abatement request. They must be a written request sent to the Town Clerk and the Board has no deadline on when to hear them. A taxpayer is not required to attend the meeting but is encouraged to do so. The Board will consider the request whether or not the taxpayer is at the meeting.
Abatement requests must meet the following criteria per 24 V.S.A. §1535(a)
• taxes of persons who have died insolvent;
• taxes of persons who have removed from the state;
• taxes of persons who are unable to pay their taxes, interest, and collection fees;
• taxes in which there is a manifest error or a mistake of the listers
• taxes upon real or personal property lost or destroyed during the tax year;
• the exemption amount available under 32 V.S.A. §3802(11) to persons otherwise eligible for exemption who file a claim on or after May 1 but before October 1 due to the claimant’s sickness or disability or other good cause as determined by the board of abatement; but that exemption amount shall be reduced by 20 of the total exemption for each month or portion of a month the claim was filed late.
• taxes upon a mobile home moved from the town during the tax year as a result of a change in use of the mobile home park land or parts thereof, or closure of the mobile home park in which the mobile home was sited, pursuant to 10 V.S.A. §6237