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City clerk reports new deputy clerk, Trio payment rollout and rising tax liens; committee forwards modest schedule change to council
Summary
City Clerk Lisa Goodwin introduced Holly Cloaky as the new customer service manager/deputy clerk, updated the committee on Trio online payments, reported a rise in tax liens and a drop in collection rate, and the committee forwarded a temporary earlier lobby‑lock proposal to the full council to reduce clerk overtime.
City Clerk Lisa Goodwin told the Bangor City Government Operations Committee on July 21 that the city has promoted Holly Cloaky to customer service manager and deputy clerk and that staff are working to implement Trio online payments, which would allow credit card and electronic payments directly to the city.
Goodwin said the Trio rollout is pending final testing and integration with the city’s credit card vendor and that staff hope to begin implementation within weeks. She also reported an increase in tax liens to be filed — about 600 — and said the city’s collection rate has fallen to roughly 95% from around 98% previously. “People are having a little bit of struggle paying their bills,” Goodwin told the committee.
To address recurring overtime and scheduling challenges in the clerk’s office, Goodwin proposed locking the public lobby at 4:15 p.m. on regular business days so clerks can finish cash‑up and internal processing; staff would still work through 4:30 p.m. and the lobby would reopen in advance of evening meetings to prevent people from waiting outside. Several councilors discussed alternatives such as at least one late‑night service night, flexible scheduling and use of online payment tools to reduce in‑person traffic. The committee moved and seconded a recommendation to permit the 4:15 p.m. lobby closure and forward that change to the full council; members raised no objections.
Goodwin said staff would add information about payment options (including the tax club and monthly payment possibilities) in the upcoming tax bill mailer, which staff plan to mail on Aug. 6 with the new City Hall address.
Assistant City Manager Courtney O’Donnell also told the committee the first August meeting will include a comprehensive update on the Community Connector and a discussion about public restroom contracts and operations; staff will gather available usage and maintenance information for that agenda item.
