Wednesday, Nov. 13 was the last day for Somerville residents to access most town office services before the office is largely shuttered for a period of still-unclear duration due to lack of staff.
Until new staff members are hired, most services previously provided by the town clerk and tax collector will be unavailable, according to a Wednesday, Nov. 6 email from Sandra Devaney, Somerville’s interim town clerk, treasurer, and tax collector.
During the closure, residents can complete Inland Fisheries and Wildlife licenses and registrations online, at other town offices, or in Augusta, Devaney said. Vital records can be obtained online or in Augusta, she added.
Registration renewals can be done online, and property tax payments should be submitted in the town office mailbox or metal drop box.
Somerville has been seeking candidates for all three town office positions of town clerk, tax collector, and treasurer since both town office staffers, Devaney and former Town Clerk Samantha Peaslee, announced their resignations Sept. 18.
At the time, Devaney offered to stay on to fill all three roles on a temporary basis until replacements could be found. As of Monday, Nov. 11, no staff had been hired, and interviews had progressed slowly. In an email to town residents Wednesday, Nov. 6, Devaney said the workload had become too great for her to continue past Nov. 13.
“I have done what I can for the town, but I cannot continue to do all three positions, there is too much work to do,” she said in the email. “I have been doing all three for almost two months, through a huge election and property tax time. My apologies for any inconvenience.”
In September, Devaney and Peaslee blamed a “toxic” town office environment and continued harassment from residents for their resignations. In a phone call on Nov. 4, Devaney said residents had been sitting in the town office with her on a rotating schedule as a measure against continued mistreatment from residents.
Regular services will resume as soon as replacement staff are hired, Devaney said Nov. 6.
The Somerville Select Board scheduled a special meeting to be held entirely in executive session for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 13 for the purpose of conducting interviews, according to Devaney.
The next regular meeting of the Somerville Select Board is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 20 in the town office.
