Residents are in a standoff with assessors in a tiny Maine plantation
A group of residents frustrated with leadership and how taxpayer money is handled in its tiny Maine plantation is threatening to keep the municipality shut down until two longtime assessors resign.
Municipal services in The Forks Plantation temporarily shuttered last week after residents voted down an article that would have given its Board of Assessors permission to spend up to 25 percent of the previously approved 2023 budget, or about $147,116. It meant that assessors could not pay bills, process the payroll and offer services such as motor vehicle registration.
The 14-4 vote was a result of growing distrust between residents and elected officials. An independent auditor, in a rare letter filed with a report to the state, called out leaders for not following proper procedures and mishandling taxpayer money in 2021.
The frustration of a residents group that formed last year in the wake of those audit concerns reached a high point Monday, when it said it would use its voting power to keep plantation services shut down unless two longtime assessors resign before the annual meeting Aug. 21. The group will not support any article listed on the warrant unless the assessors give up their post, according to a statement it sent to an attorney representing the plantation.
“There has been ample time and opportunity for our elected officials to reach across the table and work with us,” the group said. “They have never, even once, expressed any interest in doing so. We have, since day one, been met with dismissal, denial, defection and deception.”
Citizens for Integrity, Transparency and Accountability has eight members, and after last week’s meeting, four others expressed interest in getting involved, spokesperson and resident Charles Hathaway said. The plantation has about 48 residents.
Voters made their stance clear during the July 17 meeting, and they will continue to speak out until their goals are realized, the group said. It called on First Assessor Sandra Thompson and Second Assessor Judith Hutchinson, who is also tax collector, to resign.
Third Assessor Chris Hewke, who has served a short term compared with Thompson and Hutchinson, was not mentioned in the statement.
Terms for treasurer, clerk and the second assessor expired in June 2023, according to The Forks Plantation website. Those positions would typically be filled during the annual meeting.
While Hathaway is not listed as a candidate on a formal ballot, he expects that someone will nominate him to serve as second assessor, and he is willing to step up. Those involved with the residents group are considering the other open positions, he said.
It can be challenging for a small plantation to find residents willing to take on leadership roles, and often the same people are reelected year after year.
“I feel a sense of resolve to get things sorted out, get the finances on the right track and rebuild trust with the voters. That’s all,” said Hathaway, who has never served as an elected official.
Citizens for Integrity, Transparency and Accountability released its statement Monday because the frustration of its members has only grown, and they have not seen any contrition from the assessors or changes to how they run the plantation’s finances, he said.
The group had hoped to see assessors acknowledge the hard work that needs to be done and extend involvement to residents so they can have confidence in their elected officials moving forward, Hathaway said. Some residents want to be part of creating checks and balances and implementing standard accounting procedures, he said.
But members have no reason to believe that the assessors will not “drag this on as long as they can,” he said.
It’s possible that residents who are not members of the group will show up to the Aug. 21 meeting and support articles listed on the warrant, Hathaway said. They may not agree with the group or believe its approach is the right one for the plantation, but it decided to put out a strong message to achieve real change, he said.
Timothy Woodcock, who represents the plantation, received the group’s statement and passed it along to assessors, he said Tuesday. He had no immediate response to offer on their behalf, and assessors did not respond to an email or phone call to the municipal office.