LIMESTONE, Maine — Limestone residents can no longer register their cars, buy dog licenses or pay their taxes because there’s no one qualified to staff the town office.
Interim Town Manager Walt Elliot closed the office Tuesday because the town has lost its two clerks.
The most recent clerk and treasurer, Cindy Tardy, resigned last week due to health issues, Elliot said Tuesday. Jewel Graves, who was hired as a deputy clerk in February, also has resigned.
The outright closure of a municipal office is a dramatic example of a Maine town’s struggle to hire and retain workers. Limestone has struggled to find qualified applicants for a new town manager, a position Elliot has filled since last fall.
The nearby town of Woodland has been unable to find clerks to bring its books up to date, according to town officials. Farther south, Hancock County’s planning board finally hired an employee in September after months with no staff.
Limestone’s town office first closed last Friday. Though Elliot had kept the building open for limited hours since Monday, he does not have the training to handle vehicle registrations and tax collection, he said.
With no other employees, he will be forced to shut the doors for the time being, Elliot stated.
Elliot did not say how long the town office might be closed. The town’s website lists the deputy clerk position on its jobs page, but not that of a clerk/treasurer.
After being hired, Graves had expressed interest in helping Limestone apply for federal and state grants after the town failed to find a consultant to handle that work.
Most recently, interim employees Kristin Vines and Spencer Keiser stepped up to fill leadership vacancies at the library and highway department, respectively. But shortages remain in the town’s police and recreation departments.
Limestone may consider partnering with another municipality to provide clerk services, Elliot said.
