NORRIDGEWOCK — Fired town office clerk and retired treasurer Charlotte Curtis took her new seat on the Board of Selectmen on Wednesday night following weeks of legal wrangling.

There has also been a union grievance and a complaint with the Maine Human Rights Commission alleging gender discrimination by the town manager.

Curtis, 66, was elected to the board March 5 but could not serve until issues surrounding her role as elected treasurer and thousands of dollars in uncollected sewer bills could be resolved. There also was the issue of Curtis being fired for allegedly placing audio recording equipment at the front desk of the town office.

Those matters have been resolved, Town Manager Michelle Flewelling said Thursday.

Flewelling said attorney William Lee of Waterville told the board Wednesday night that a special audit from Jan. 1 to March 5 showed town finances were in order.

Curtis was fired from her 40-hour-per-week job as office clerk, but retained her elected positions of town clerk and treasurer until the March elections, when she ran for selectman and was elected. She stepped down as town clerk and treasurer because she could not legally serve in all three positions.

As treasurer, Curtis was responsible for collecting sewer bill payments. Curtis said she purposely did not record a lien on some unpaid accounts over the last few years because she didn’t want someone’s home to be foreclosed on because of a sewer bill. Unpaid sewer bills in Norridgewock amount to more than $31,000, according to Flewelling.

“Liens need to be filed by the town treasurer; the town treasurer is elected and because they are elected they do not receive direction from anyone,” Flewelling said. “She simply did not file liens; she chose not to do that.”

Based on the favorable report from the special audit, selectmen Wednesday night voted to accept a certificate of settlement on the matter, releasing Curtis from any liability or obligation to collect money due to the town and allowing her to take her place at the selectmen’s table.

Flewelling said she expects all sewer accounts will be settled over the next 22 months. Peter Lyman has been appointed town treasurer until next March’s annual Town Meeting when elections will be held.

Flewelling said selectmen and the board of sewer commissioners since have developed a policy in which liens will be placed on homes unless the bills are paid in full — beginning with the oldest, until the account is cleared. Some unpaid bills go back to 2007.

“They’ll have to bring the account current in order to stop the lien from going on,” she said. “If the lien does go on the property, they’ll have 18 months to clear up all outstanding amounts, plus the lien.”

Efforts to reach Curtis by phone on Thursday were unsuccessful.

Ron Frederick, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, did not immediately return a telephone call for comment.

A union grievance filed against the town by Curtis for her firing by Flewelling in January charging she made audio recordings of conversations at the town office desk also has been resolved, Flewelling said. She said she could not comment further because it is a personnel matter.

The complaint with the Maine Human Rights Commission alleging gender discrimination is still pending, Flewelling said, and she again declined to comment on the matter.

Attorney Jonathan Brogan, who is representing the town in the discrimination complaint, is on vacation this week and could not be reached for comment.

Doug Harlow — 612-2367

dharlow@centralmaine.com

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