Council appoints interim clerk candidate; members ask that duties and town finances be clarified

The Town Council moved to begin the process of appointing M. Tequila White as interim town clerk, while several members stressed the need to clarify what duties she will assume — particularly financial responsibilities that state law and the town code currently assign to the clerk.

"I'll entertain a motion to appoint M. Tequila White as the interim town clerk," the presiding officer said when the item was introduced. Council discussion quickly turned to whether the town should reassign or temporarily relieve the clerk position of financial duties so the interim appointment would not create immediate responsibility for accounting and audits.

Several council members said state code prescribes certain clerk duties that the council cannot alter, and that any reassignment of bookkeeping or financial oversight should be done deliberately. One member urged the council to obtain an independent accounting expert to handle town finances rather than burden a promoted internal employee.

Ms. White, identified in the meeting as the planning clerk and the person proposed for interim clerk duties, described the need to avoid disrupting the planning department if she were moved permanently and asked council to carefully define any added responsibilities. "…I asked if there was some way that you could of clerk somehow so that I could still be in support of the planning department… it does need more fleshing out," she said.

Rather than immediately finalizing an appointment that would vest all clerk duties in Ms. White, the council approved a motion directing the town administrator, the mayor and the chairperson of the administrative committee to meet with Ms. White "as expeditiously as possible" to discuss specific additional duties and responsibilities and report back to the council.

The motion passed after a second and a brief discussion. Council members said they wanted clear job descriptions and, where needed, an independent financial professional to ensure continuity while audits and reconciliations are completed.

Next steps: staff will convene the directed meeting, return to council with a defined interim‑clerk scope and any recommended changes to how financial duties are assigned.