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 (2022 to 2024)

  • Alyssa Black (performs marriages)
    Address: PO Box 9141, Essex 05451
    Phone: 802-598-1026
    Email Alyssa Black

  • Sianay Chase Clifford (performs marriages)
         Address: 52 Saybrook Rd.
     Phone: 802-363-2157
    Email Sianay Chase

  • Tracey Delphia (performs marriages)
    Address: 291 Old Stage Road
    Phone: 802-598-3168
    Email Tracey Delphia

  • Leonora Dodge (performs marriages)
    Address: 2 Lida Drive
    Phone: 802-324-3828
    Email Leonora Dodge

  • Alex Dubief (performs marriages)
    Address: 6 Forest Road
    Phone: 802-881-2887
    Email Alex Dubief

  • Elizabeth (Betsy) Dunn (performs marriages)
    Address: 2 Cindy Lane
    Phone: 802-238-4271
    Email Betsy Dunn

  • Rey Garofano (performs marriages) 
    Address: 12 Saxonhollow Drive
    Phone: 802-922-3311
    Email Rey Garofano

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

Abatement Request Form

Contact 

To contact members of the Board of Civil Authority, please send your inquiry to:

Staff Representative to the Board of Civil Authority
Susan McNamara-Hill, Clerk
802-879-0413, clerk@essex.org
Mail or drop off at the Town Offices, 81 Main St.