BEALS — The new tax collector and treasurer for the town of Beals is a retired IRS analyst with a background in identity theft, fraud and data breaches.
Residents elected Stacy Trussell in a 43-0 vote Friday at the town’s 101st annual meeting.
“I was surprised no one had stepped up for it,” Trussell said of her new role, which had been filled by Terry Beal for the past 20 years.
She added, “I didn’t want to see Beals become East Jonesport,” referring to concerns that the neighboring town could absorb Beals if it is unable to conduct essential business.
Trussell moved to Beals from New Hampshire last year with her husband, Shawn.
“It’s a little different from car registration and stuff, but it’ll be fine,” she said.
Other budget decisions at the three‑hour meeting included votes to raise nearly $330,000 in taxes to buy flags, plow snow, contract for emergency and solid waste services and pay stipends for critical town jobs.
This will not be the town’s full tax request for 2026, as the Beals Elementary School budget, which cost the town $1,481,117 in 2025, will be voted on at the 2026 annual school meeting later in the spring.
Terry Beal was elected tax assessor, filling the seat vacated by Benita Alley. The rest of the town’s officers remain in place.
One of the biggest discussions came after Selectman Glenda Beal announced that the town had received a one‑time anonymous donation of $10,000 to support town stipends.
“This person wanted to make sure the town didn’t feel they needed to raise taxes in order to pay someone to take the (tax collector) job for an amount that they felt it was worth,” Glenda Beal said.
Officials said the $10,000 will be applied to the $46,650 being raised for municipal salaries.
Other salary changes came from Terry Beal, who asked that the town reduce her payment as town clerk from $3,000 to $2,000 and raise the tax collector stipend from $5,000 to $6,000.
Resident Laurie Petronis made a motion to raise the salaries for the part‑time positions of tax collector and treasurer to $10,000 each, and to $7,500 for the three tax assessors. The motion was considered null because the town had already voted on the salaries.
“If we don’t pay employees to do the work to give us the best shot at surviving as a town, then we may have to take measures to shrink. That would be closing the school, which not many people would like to do,” said Petronis, who moved to the area several years ago and has a background in historic preservation and development.
Residents also voted 35-8 to exempt the town from a state plan to expand bowhunting season from September to the end of muzzleloader season on the bridge-accessible islands of Beals.
Resident Sam Hunkler expressed concern that Beals and Great Wass islands are already overrun with deer and said additional culling would make the roads safer and reduce the spread of tick‑borne illness.
But lifelong bowhunter Farrell Beal warned of the unintended consequences the extension has brought to other towns and the potential massacre of the deer population.
“I think (September is) really too early to have any kind of season. The lambs are small; they’re still nursing the does,” he said. “Expanded archery also means you can shoot multiple deer. You can kill 10. And I’m against it.”
He said he worries an expanded September bowhunting season would draw hunters from across Maine to the islands.
As one resident left the lengthy meeting, he passed Trussell, the new treasurer and tax collector.
“Congratulations,” he said. “Welcome to the headaches.”
“Thank you,” Trussell said. “I’m going to suggest, because I’ve got a lot of names to learn, that everyone brings a cookie to the office with their name on it.”
Jessica Brockington is a Community Reporting Fellow receiving training through the Journalism New England Career Lab to do civic reporting that provides people in towns across New England with the information they need to be engaged in their community.
