Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks And Recreation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parents and staff press Limington select board over parks & rec resignation and payroll errors
Summary
During the April 23 select board meeting Limington parents presented a 26‑signature petition after Parks & Rec staffer Jamie Warden gave notice; commenters cited ongoing payroll errors (including a disputed $260 Main Purse deduction), stressed stress on staff, and urged remedies ranging from internal fixes to hiring an outside payroll vendor.
Parents and staff raised concerns about payroll errors and the impending departure of a parks and recreation staff member during public comment at the Limington select board meeting on April 23.
Cameron Leplant presented a petition he said had about 26 signatures from families using the town's Recreation program and asked the board to address the reasons a valued staffer — identified at the meeting as Jamie Warden — gave notice. Attendees said Warden is central to before‑and‑after‑school care, vacation camps and other youth programs and that her leaving could force reductions in programs or enrollment.
Multiple speakers described repeated payroll problems. Jamie Warden and other employees said payroll deductions and other errors had persisted and that an incident involving a $260 deduction from Warden's account (reported during the meeting as a Main Purse deduction) had been executed on a Sunday, leaving her out of pocket and exacerbating stress. Warden said the problems had contributed to high stress and health impacts: "I was in the hospital twice dealing with the stress of all of this," she told the board.
Town Manager Matt and other officials said payroll issues had roots in legacy setup problems with the town's payroll system and that the town had been working with outside help to resolve errors. Officials said some historic setup mistakes preceded the current town manager, and they urged affected employees to provide documentation so errors could be corrected. The manager also noted the town had engaged auditors and outside assistance to clean up the payroll records.
Speakers proposed options ranging from improved internal documentation and vendor support to contracting an outside payroll company. One commenter said a private payroll service could be affordable (the meeting included a reference from a resident that a payroll vendor could be obtained for about $107 per week), and several parents urged the town to act quickly because losing staff could reduce program availability and raise child‑care costs for families.
Board members noted limits on what can be discussed in public about personnel matters and reiterated the chain of command under the town‑manager form of government: personnel and HR matters are handled by the town manager, and the select board is the manager's oversight body. Several board members encouraged staff and parents to submit written documentation of payroll discrepancies so the town manager could pursue remedial action and, if appropriate, consider external payroll services.
No formal action was taken at the meeting on personnel or payroll procurement. The select board asked staff to continue remediation steps and to report back; parents requested written follow‑up on payroll corrections and on hiring plans for parks & recreation staff.
