PALERMO – Being a town office employee in Palermo in 2012 is a lot like holding the same job in a town with similar demographics, geography, population and government structure. Which is to say, it's not what it used to be.

In March, residents here voted to cut funding for town office staff nearly in half, extend office hours and reduced the number of employees. The decision was based on findings by the town's Compensation Committee, a 12-member group that looked at town office spending in Palermo side-by-side with spending in five other comparable towns.

The committee was established by voters in March 2011 and submitted its final report in November. On paper, the findings were dramatic.

Where the five comparison towns  — Burnham, Plymouth, Searsmont, Swanville and Washington — paid an average of $46,600 per year for 26 open hours at the town office per week, Palermo was paying $109,448 for 16 hours. Where most of the other towns had two staff members with numerous duties, Palermo had four with more narrowly described roles.

The committee recommended cutting the total compensation to town office staff in Palermo to $60,000 — "nearly $50,000 less than the current compensation cost [but] still significantly higher than the average cost for town office staff compensation in the five comparison towns," according to the committee's report — and replacing the annual salary with an hourly wage.

"It was a very, very uncomfortable 18 months," said Town Clerk Sheila McCarty, the only member of the current town office staff to have worked before and after the changes.

McCarty said the comparison of Palermo to the particular towns that were chosen missed some key differences that would have partly explained the compensation gap. The review of town office spending wasn't entirely dispassionate either, she said, adding that on occasions "inappropriate things were said that were personal."

But in the months since, she's tried to move on.

"I'm elected and I'm going to serve my town," she said. "I feel obligated to do that."

Angela Nelson, the town treasurer and only other current staff member to work the full town office schedule, was also elected to her position. But she was the last. 

Nelson was picked at the annual town meeting in March. During the same meeting, voters adopted the other major recommendation of the compensation committee — that town office positions be changed from elected to appointed. The rationale was that this would allow supervision and discipline by the appointing officials, typically the selectmen.

Nelson knew the situation going in. McCarty, who was in the middle of her elected term at the time, didn't. Her wages were grandfathered until July 1, at which time they dropped by 45 percent. 

With a presidential election coming up and a smaller town office staff taking on more duties for less pay, the costs and benefits to residents of Palermo are still shaking out. 

According to Selectman Harry Dean Potter, the fact that changes were made in the middle of the budget year means the savings to the town won't be as obvious right away.

In terms of service, Potter said, training has eaten up some staff time as McCarty and Nelson have taken on additional responsibilities. "There are times when there's a short line of people," he said, "and they have to wait because obviously there are fewer people behind the counter."

Several weeks ago, the town office closed for two days while McCarty and Nelson attended election training mandated by the secretary of state. According to McCarty, the shutdown was a first. In the past, there had always been someone to cover for them.

Then again, it's mostly working, and if the findings of the Compensation Committee are correct, similar towns have been getting by with a smaller town office staff for years.

Selectmen recently hired Abbie Hills, who previously helped the town with motor vehicle registrations, for the vacant position of tax collector. In accordance with the compensation committee's recommendations, the job is fewer hours per week than it was previously, and fewer than worked by the clerk and treasurer. It's also less pay.

Asked if the extra help was any relief to the two regular staffers, Nelson said the job of motor vehicle registrations was now hers.

Penobscot Bay Pilot reporter Ethan Andrews can be reached at ethanandrews@penbaypilot.com