Whole Maine city forced to shut after its solely clerk quits over denied trip

The one clerk in a small Maine town resigned after the board of selectmen denied her trip 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 out there to step in for her.

She left on April 7. The town has had nobody to register vehicles, keep crucial data, or talk with the state Division of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

The position of city clerk isn’t the only essential opening in Passadumkeag. The town of 356 folks additionally lacks a code enforcement officer, an assessor, an animal management officer, and a faculty administration official, in accordance with The Bangor Each day News.

The town office shut all the way down to in-person visitors till additional notice, based on a statement sent out on April 19.

“The Treasurer will probably be in a few days per week to simply accept funds on things equivalent to taxes,” the assertion read. “Please name the office earlier than heading out to do any enterprise here as there aren't any designated hours of operation now.”

Treasurer Barbara Boyer has apparently been coming into the workplace to collect tax payments. Nonetheless, she is reportedly unable to register autos, do constructing inspections, conduct animal welfare checks, or undertake lots of the other duties that Ms. Bouchard was answerable 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 budget article meant to fund town operations after town officers did not adequately explain the reasoning for a proposed wage increase. The price range article additionally didn't embody funding for a code enforcement officer, a necessity below Maine law.

City officers mentioned that they are finding it difficult to fill the open posts as a result of monetary uncertainties. It's also due to the town’s small population, and the municipal roles being solely part-time. Ms Bouchard was solely contracted to work 16 hours every week — though she stated she often worked more — and was paid just $13,500 per year.

“We've been left with a multitude from years of neglect and are doing as much as we will to get our city back in order,” first selectman Brad McKechnie stated.

“I do believe in time with the team we've, we will get Passadumkeag back in order and searching good, but it would take a bit and goes to be a challenge for certain.”

In the intervening time, the people of Passadumkeag are counting on selectmen and different municipalities to carry out basic governmental obligations. It contains getting registering their cars within the nearby municipality of Howland.