Whole Maine town forced to close after its solely clerk quits over denied trip

The single clerk in a small Maine town resigned after the board of selectmen denied her vacation request.

Christen Bouchard was the town clerk in Passadumkeag, Maine, since 2020. She requested a two-week vacation about a month and a half in the past. Her plea was denied by the board of selectmen. They claimed that no one was accessible to step in for her.

She left on April 7. The city has had no one to register vehicles, preserve crucial information, or talk with the state Division of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

The position of town clerk isn’t the one vital opening in Passadumkeag. The city of 356 folks additionally lacks a code enforcement officer, an assessor, an animal control officer, and a faculty administration official, in response to The Bangor Day by day News.

The city office shut right down to in-person guests until additional notice, according to a press release despatched out on April 19.

“The Treasurer shall be in a few days per week to accept funds on things resembling taxes,” the assertion learn. “Please name the workplace before heading out to do any business here as there are not any designated hours of operation now.”

Treasurer Barbara Boyer has apparently been coming into the office to collect tax funds. Nonetheless, she is reportedly unable to register vehicles, do constructing inspections, conduct animal welfare checks, or undertake lots of the other duties that Ms. Bouchard was responsible for.

It’s unclear when the town will be able to fill the vacant positions and reopen for enterprise. In March, town residents rejected a price range article meant to fund town operations after city officers did not adequately clarify the reasoning for a proposed wage improve. The price range article also did not embody funding for a code enforcement officer, a necessity below Maine legislation.

Town officers stated that they are finding it troublesome to fill the open posts due to monetary uncertainties. It is also as a result of town’s small inhabitants, and the municipal roles being only part-time. Ms Bouchard was only contracted to work 16 hours each week — though she said she often worked extra — and was paid just $13,500 per yr.

“We have now been left with a mess from years of neglect and are doing as much as we are able to to get our town back so as,” first selectman Brad McKechnie mentioned.

“I do believe in time with the crew we now have, we are going to get Passadumkeag again so as and looking out good, but it should take a bit and is going to be a problem for certain.”

For the time being, the people of Passadumkeag are counting on selectmen and other municipalities to carry out fundamental governmental tasks. It contains getting registering their automobiles within the close by municipality of Howland.