RANGELEY — The Board of Selectmen held an emergency meeting last week to address the code enforcement officer vacancy and restore funding for the planning and code enforcement department after voters rejected its budget at the Aug. 18 special town meeting.
The code enforcement officer serves as the town’s building official, issuing permits and conducting inspections.
At the Aug. 20 Board of Selectmen meeting, officials reviewed a revised 2027 department budget of $207,823 — $1,509 more than the department’s 2026 budget.
The board continued those discussions at its regular meeting Monday.
The proposal would restructure the department with one full‑time code enforcement officer and one part‑time deputy.
The full‑time code enforcement officer would earn $75,315, while the deputy would be budgeted at $35,000.
Full‑time benefits would increase to $53,390, including health insurance and a retirement match for the new code enforcement officer.
Overall compensation would drop from $148,326 in 2026 to $129,570 in 2027 under the proposal.
Other reductions include travel, training, supplies and contract services.
The revised budget removes a $13,099 consultant services line and instead uses reserve funds for special planning work.
The town faces a tight deadline. As of Aug. 20, the department had used $36,587.01 of its temporary “3/12” spending authorization, which allowed it to operate at one‑quarter of last year’s budget until Sept. 4.
Without an approved budget, the town could be forced to stop issuing building permits and conducting inspections.
Under state law, Rangeley must employ a code enforcement officer because it is a Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code community. The officer also provides information the assessor needs to account for new construction each year.
Several people at the meeting voiced concerns and offered suggestions.
Discussion focused on a lack of communication, including information changing up until the last minute, shifting budget figures and the earlier proposal to combine the code enforcement officer and planning director responsibilities.
Residents also commented on their lack of trust in the town’s process and viewed recent actions as a rushed attempt to resolve the department’s funding needs without adequately informing the public.
Some residents, led by Chris Farmer and Selectperson Leanna Wilbur, have also advocated using $25,000 from the undesignated fund balance as a temporary measure to allow more time for public discussion.
The board scheduled a special town meeting for 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 31, at Rangeley Lakes Regional School to determine what voters will raise and appropriate for code enforcement and planning. Selectmen recommend raising $244,134.
“Time is of the essence,” Selectperson Samantha White said, noting that scheduling a vote by secret ballot requires 60 days’ notice, and the town cannot wait that long to fund the code enforcement and planning positions.
Selectmen had hoped to resolve the issue before their Aug. 31 tax commitment workshop so the town could finalize the municipal budget and proceed with processing and mailing tax bills.
The option selectmen have recommended to voters would retain one full‑time code enforcement officer and two part‑time deputies to manage the workload and is $13,134 higher than the budget voters rejected earlier this month.
Officials said Rangeley’s development workload was a major factor in keeping the two deputy positions. The town has issued 153 permits so far this year, compared to 177 at the same point last year, putting it on pace for about 200 permits.
In comparison, the town of Saco has processed about 110 permits per year and employs five full‑time code enforcement officers, each paid $70,000 annually.
Board members noted that Rangeley’s code enforcement officer is heavily occupied with commercial development.
Town officials said the town needs to offer a competitive salary to attract an experienced code enforcement officer capable of handling Rangeley’s future development activity. They agreed that relying on outside consultants for planning and code enforcement is not a viable long‑term solution, as Town Manager Joe Roach emphasized.
To provide funding while voters consider the new budget, selectmen authorized Roach to use $25,000 from the undesignated funds for code enforcement officer expenditures. About $10,000 will cover payout expenses for the resigning officer, leaving roughly $15,000 to provide about 10 weeks of operating funds at an estimated $1,500 per week.
Roach said the town will publish detailed budget information on its website and social media to address concerns about the new proposal being higher than the ones voters rejected, and to ensure residents have all relevant information in time for a thorough review before the vote.
The town’s tax commitment workshop with the assessor has been moved from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1, allowing the assessor to incorporate results from the special town meeting.
The board also held a joint public hearing with the Planning Board and approved four ordinance amendments for the November town meeting warrant.
The proposed changes address lighting requirements, electric message centers, administrative language and transfer station permitting and related fees.
The lighting requirements comply with both Dark Skies standards and federal lighting laws for the American flag.
