Town Clerk | Tara Stickles

My name is Tara Stickles and I am a lifelong resident of the Town of Montgomery.  I have 15 years Municipality experience and have been the Town Clerk for the Town of Montgomery for the past three years.

Currently, I am a member of the Orange/Sullivan Town Clerk’s Association, the New York State Town Clerk’s Association, the International Institute of Municipal Clerks and the Town of Montgomery Seniors Independence Project.

On a personal note, I graduated from Valley Central High School in 1985.  I then received an A.A.S. degree in Business Communications from SUNY –Orange before embarking on the daunting task of raising a family.  Upon reentering the workforce in 1996, I started as a water-billing clerk and the secretary to the Planning & Zoning Board of Appeals in the Village of Walden before moving on to the Town.  I am married to Dean and have three children, Sarah, Dylan and Douglas and two stepchildren, Daniel and Dina, all of whom I’m tremendously proud of.

I have been fortunate enough to have been a part of a workplace where I received valuable knowledge, training and experience in all aspects of the Town Clerk’s Office and I have proven my ability to excel as a team player as well as handling total responsibility for any key task.  I am continually using my problem-solving and decision-making skills and am confident in my management ability, resourcefulness and ability to relate to others.  One of the most rewarding aspects of this office is meeting and assisting so many of our Town residents.  I enjoy the work immensely and enthusiastically accepted the full responsibilities as Town Clerk.  I am a highly motivated professional with unlimited personal initiative as well as strong qualities of dependability and trustworthiness and am looking forward to continuing to serve the residents of the Town of Montgomery in the same proficient and courteous manner that they are used to.

It is my strong desire to continue to run the Town Clerk’s Office as professional and efficient as it has been done in the past and I will utilize my experience and training to accomplish this goal.  I am constantly striving to reach out and help as many of our residents as I can in various ways, such as keeping the Town of Montgomery as a host site for different programs.  One being the Orange County Office for the Aging Tax Assistance Program, where volunteers help seniors complete their income tax filing and another one is the AARP Over 55 Driving Course that is held at the Town Government Center at various times of the year, which enable senior residents to receive discounts on their car insurance premiums.    Another program that benefits the residents is the Town of Montgomery / Will Spay Pets, Inc. spay/neuter clinics.  We have had three successful clinics each year for the past three years, where my office is responsible for receiving payment and distributing the spay/neuter certificates for Town of Montgomery resident cat owners.  I also arranged a clinic with Orange County Dept. of Health in June of 2009, where free rabies shots were provided for registered Orange County pets.

The largest project I have accomplished since becoming Town Clerk was the implementation of the new dog licensing law and system for the Town of Montgomery which became necessary once the State relinquished their role in the licensing of dogs.  In 2010, I started a monthly newsletter containing important information and events taking place in our area.  As it has always been my desire to see the website utilized more, I am actively trying to update and place important information for our residents to access through our website.  Residents may find information like youth and senior programs, Town and community meetings, road closings, public service announcements, and forms needed to conduct business at the Town to name just a few.  I am always striving to serve my residents in the best possible way.

In addition to the programs and projects that I have mentioned, my duties as Town Clerk are numerous, for example:  Registrar of Vital Statistics, Records Access Officer, Records Management Officer, Issuing Agent for NYS DMV handicap parking permits, marriage licenses, NYS DEC hunting and fishing licenses, legal custodian of all Town Records, Filing Officer of local laws, oaths of offices, resignations, petitions, bonds and notes, burial permits, fiscal records, zoning laws and maps and Notary Public .

There are a few innovative ideas that I would like to see implemented to further advance the Town Hall with today’s technology.  I have been looking into obtaining grants for scanning and indexing records to make them more readily available to the public as well as to Town employees, thereby increasing efficiency in the workplace.  I will continue hosting these various programs that I previously mentioned for it not only greatly benefits but also enhances the quality of life our Town residents deserve.

As always, when anyone walks into the Town Clerk’s Office they will still be helped to the greatest extent possible, treated courteously and most likely leave with, at the very least, a smile.