MADISON — Selectmen have extended the contract of interim Town Manager Tim Curtis through June while they continue to search for someone to permanently fill the position.

The board has also contracted with the Maine Municipal Association to assist in the search for a new town manager, said Vice Chairman of the Board of Selectmen Jack Ducharme on Thursday.

Curtis, who was appointed interim town manager in March, will remain in the office through June 30. He replaced Dana Barry, who left the position in October.

“We got a bunch of applications, but we didn’t really find anyone,” Ducharme said. “We had an applicant that we thought was going to be the right one, and then he ended up getting a job somewhere else.”

The Maine Municipal Association, a statewide organization that provides support to municipal governments, will help advertise for the position and is expected to be able to reach a broader pool of applicants, Ducharme said. The cost of the service is about $5,000 and can be covered with money budgeted for the town manager’s salary, according to minutes from a selectmen’s meeting on March 9.

“They’re a statewide organization that is in tune with every municipality around, so they know who all is out there and they also know what the job involves,” Ducharme said. The MMA will advertise and pre-screen candidates for the job, but the process will still take about two to three months, which is why selectmen decided to extend the contract for Curtis.

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“It would be very difficult to get someone in here before the end of June, so we felt it would be appropriate,” Ducharme said.

Before being appointed interim town manager, Curtis was an economic development consultant to the town. He will be in the office four days per week and is being paid $240 per day.

Rachel Ohm — 612-2368

rohm@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @rachel_ohm


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