Whole Maine city pressured to close after its solely clerk quits over denied trip

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

Christen Bouchard was the city clerk in Passadumkeag, Maine, since 2020. She requested a two-week vacation a couple of month and a half in the past. Her plea was denied by the board of selectmen. They claimed that nobody was accessible to step in for her.

She left on April 7. The town has had no one to register autos, keep crucial records, or communicate with the state Division of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

The place of city clerk isn’t the only essential opening in Passadumkeag. The town of 356 individuals also lacks a code enforcement officer, an assessor, an animal management officer, and a faculty administration official, in accordance with The Bangor Daily Information.

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

“The Treasurer can be in a couple of days every week to simply accept funds on issues resembling taxes,” the assertion read. “Please name the office before heading out to do any enterprise right here as there are no designated hours of operation now.”

Treasurer Barbara Boyer has apparently been coming into the workplace to collect tax payments. Still, she is reportedly unable to register vehicles, do constructing inspections, conduct animal welfare checks, or undertake most of the other tasks that Ms. Bouchard was responsible for.

It’s unclear when the town will be capable to fill the vacant positions and reopen for enterprise. In March, city residents rejected a funds article meant to fund city operations after city officials didn't adequately clarify the reasoning for a proposed wage improve. The funds article additionally didn't include funding for a code enforcement officer, a necessity underneath Maine regulation.

Town officers mentioned that they are discovering it troublesome to fill the open posts as a result of financial uncertainties. It is also because of the city’s small inhabitants, and the municipal roles being solely part-time. Ms Bouchard was solely contracted to work 16 hours each week — though she said she typically worked more — and was paid just $13,500 per 12 months.

“We have now been left with a large number from years of neglect and are doing as a lot as we are able to to get our city again in order,” first selectman Brad McKechnie mentioned.

“I do believe in time with the staff we have now, we are going to get Passadumkeag back so as and looking good, but it is going to take a bit and goes to be a challenge for positive.”

In the interim, the folks of Passadumkeag are counting on selectmen and different municipalities to perform basic governmental duties. It consists of getting registering their vehicles within the nearby municipality of Howland.