Getting hitched is about to become a lot easier in Norfolk County.
Norfolk councilors recently voted at a council-in-committee meeting July 11 to reinstate the county’s civil marriage ceremony program. Their decision is expected to become final at a July 18 meeting of Norfolk County Council.
Councilors were told the program, established in 2005, was canceled in 2022 because of a lack of staff available to perform the ceremonies. That problem has been solved.
The county will soon have five people, including county clerk Genevieve Scharback, available to conduct a marriage ceremony. Others include deputy county clerk Tracey Rodrigues, general manager, corporate services Heidy Van Dyk, licensing officer Marie Cook and committee coordinator Kevin Brandt.
A fee for civil marriage solemnization of $326 is included in the county’s user fee bylaw.
Prior to the suspension of the program in 2022, the county conducted between 10 and 30 civil marriage ceremonies a year. Over the past nine months, the county has received inquiries from six couples looking to get married at the county administration building.
twitter.com/EXPVBall