New Vineyard officials meet Monday at the Town Office where Planning Board Secretary Jamie McKechnie handed in her resignation, saying the Planning Board was not following proper procedures. From left are McKechnie, Town Clerk Michelle Beedy and Selectmen Jeffery Allen and Seth Webber. Selectman Lexi Daggett was absent. Leo Goddard/Franklin Journal
NEW VINEYARD — Planning Board Secretary Jamie McKechnie handed selectmen her resignation Monday night after advising them the board is not following proper procedures and ordinances and being told selectmen have no authority to do anything about it.
“Things are just a big old mess,” she said. There have been multiple instances where things were being pushed through without the formality of votes and ordinances were not being followed, she advised. She presented a packet of information on the issues she was seeing and some examples.
After reviewing the documents, there was a discussion over the requirements for building permits. Town Clerk Michelle Beedy had to search through records to compare the documents. There was mutual confusion over which version of the ordinance was the correct one.
Selectman Jeffrey Allen thought it was possible that one of the versions may have been written and used without going through the proper channels.
The discussion last about 90 minutes with Allen reiterating that the Select Board had no authority over the Planning Board. “We’re staying out of it,” he said.
McKechnie asked who she could talk to about the issue, if not selectmen.
There was no clear answer.
Unsatisfied, she passed out copies of her resignation letter, wished them all a good night and walked out of the building.
“They have to be governed by someone,” Beedy said. She said she is waiting to hear from the Maine Municipal Association to figure out who should address these issues.
The Planning Board now has four members; five are required.
Selectmen said they are not sure what they will do if they cannot find alternates.
Selectman Lexi Daggett was absent from the meeting.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
We invite you to add your comments. We encourage a thoughtful exchange of ideas and information on this website. By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is found on our FAQs. You can modify your screen name here.
Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday as well as limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve.
Join the Conversation
Please sign into your CentralMaine.com account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe. Questions? Please see our FAQs.