Halifax Town Hall Closed - Services Being Provided

The Halifax Town Hall will be closed to the public, with a few exceptions, starting on Monday, March 16 and for the immediate future.

This is being done to promote the concept of "social distancing", reducing the number of in-person interactions that each of us has with each other every day. Reducing that number helps to reduce the chances of spreading and transmitting the COVID-19 virus.

The staff at Town Hall will continue to perform their duties and be present to assist you via telephone or e-mail during their normal business hours.

Residents and others will be able to pay bills by check or money order by placing the bills, along the checks and/or money orders, in an envelope and dropping them off in the small white mailbox to the left hand side of the doors on the parking lot side of Town Hall. In addition, payments can be made via the Town's web site (visit http://www.halifax-ma.org/ and click on "Online Payments" - both credit cards and EFTs (using your checking account) can be used). If your only option is cash and you cannot get a money order, please contact the Treasurer-Collector's Office at (781) 294-8381 and make arrangements for a cash payment.

If you are looking for copies of documents such as birth certificates, septic system plans, assessor records, etc., call the appropriate office and the staff will work out a method for you to obtain the necessary documents.

If you are looking for information, whether general or specific, contact that department and the employees will provide that information using a variety of methods.

If you need to file documents, applications for permits, etc., please contact the proper department and a solution will be worked out to make that happen.

The exception to the list above is that the building will be open to the public for board and committee meetings when they occur. Most meetings will be held on the "Great Hall" on the 2nd floor of Town Hall where the larger space will provide sufficient more physical distance between attendees. Currently, the Town does not have the capability of broadcasting meetings "live" although that is being worked on. In addition, some meetings, such as hearings, have to allow for public participation. It may be that a method will be found to enable that practice, too.

As the days go by, additional decisions on how to conduct the Town's operations will be made as the situation evolves. The hope is that residents and others will work with the Town to facilitate this. The Town wants to continue to provide the services that residents and others expect. This compromise, between keeping the building open to all and closing it entirely (with few, if any, employees in the building) and providing almost no services, is a way of doing that