By Cathy Iino, First Selectwoman, Killingworth.
Hello, Killingworth–
Hope you all had a good long weekend, in spite of—or because of—the badly needed rain.
Killingworth’s COVID numbers are looking good. For the last three weeks, our infection rate has been below 5 per 100,000. Over 66 percent of townspeople have had at least one dose of a COVID vaccine. Connecticut has one of the lowest rates of infection and one of the highest rates of vaccination in the country. Our town and our state are still seeing infections, hospitalizations, and deaths, though. Killingworth continues to have a few new confirmed cases each week. Some precautions are still warranted.
As you probably know, the Killingworth Town Hall is in a farmhouse dating from the 1830s, with a decrepit modular section in the rear. The corridors are less than five feet wide. We have some staff members who have compromised immune systems, and some who have not been vaccinated. A significant number of residents have also not been vaccinated. For these reasons, we are limiting the flow of the public through the building.
We are continuing to require everyone who enters Town Hall to wear a mask (unless you have a bona fide medical authorization not to wear one). When you come to Town Hall for any purpose, please ring the doorbell at the main door or the back door, and we will let you in. If you enter through the main door—the one by the tax office—we ask that you exit through the front door. Just follow the arrows.
Appointments for most of the offices in the building are not necessary, but we will continue to require appointments to use the Town Clerk’s vault, which is small and has no ventilation. Please call 860-663-1765, x502 to make an appointment. Note that title searches can still be performed online 24/7 at townofkillingworth.com under Killingworth land Records. Annual land records subscriptions are $1 (NOT $50). Please pay special attention to the one-time prerequisites listed in bold on the enrollment page.
Remote services are available for many other services as well. June is dog license month, and while we will miss seeing our furry friends, we encourage you to renew your dog’s license by mail or drop box (include a check payable to Town of Killingworth), or on-line by credit card at townofkillingworth.com.
To license a new pup, please mail or drop-box your information (name, address, and phone number) along with your dog’s information (name, breed, birth date, color, proof of rabies vaccination, and spay/neuter record if applicable) to the Town Clerk’s Office along with a check for the licensing fee. The fee for a spayed or neutered pup is $8; the fee for an intact pup is $19. First-time licenses cannot be processed online.
Tax bills will be mailed at the end of June, and again, please pay by mail, in the drop box, or online if you can. There is a 2.5 % convenience fee for online credit or debit card payments; the fee for payment by a e-check is a flat $2.50.
All of our offices are staffed, however, during our regular hours: MTW, 8 am – 4 pm; Th, 8 am – 7 pm; F, 8 am – noon. Don’t hesitate to call or stop by.
I want to close with a shout-out to the staff and officials at Town Hall. They have been working harder than ever during the pandemic, finding new ways to conduct business while keeping everyone as safe as possible. As we move into the next phase of “reopening,” we will use the lessons we’ve learned to make your local government more accessible than ever. And we welcome any ideas you may suggest!
Stay safe and carry on.
Cathy
