Town Clerk

From the Office of Cathy Giordano

Pawling Town Clerk

I would like to tell you a little bit about the Office of the Town Clerk. The Office of the Town Clerk’s is historical in its traditions, having served as a direct link between residents and their local government since biblical times. As many of you know, the Town Clerk’s office prides itself on having a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. The Town Clerk is accessible to the public, answering questions of residents and taking care of their town business needs.  The Town Clerk’s office is responsible for issuing all licenses, i.e. Transfer Station Permits, dog licenses, marriage licenses, etc., but this is only a small part of this complex job. Many of the Town Clerk’s duties are mandated by law but many more go well beyond those mandates as the Town Clerk serves as a major source of information to all.  The Town Clerk is also appointed Registrar of Vital Statistics and in this capacity keeps birth, death and marriage records, which are issued in the Town Clerk’s office.  The Town Clerk is responsible for keeping minutes of all Town Board meetings which serve as the permanent, historic record of the Town.  The Town Clerk is the custodian of all Town records and is responsible for the storage and disposition of active and inactive records.  The Town Clerk is responsible for many duties related to billing and disbursing funds to the State, County, and local fiscal officers and also assists with state and internal audits.  These are some of the duties the Town Clerk’s office is responsible for, although we help residents in any way we can.

I welcome your questions and comments and want you to feel comfortable calling or stopping by the Town Clerk’s office with any question you may have, even if you aren’t sure where to go to get the answer. I can usually get the answer for you or point you in the right direction. You can e-mail me at cgiordano@pawling.org or Cheryl Knowles, deputy town clerk at cknowles@pawling.org, or call the office at 855-5040.