ALFRED, Maine – York County Commissioners are asking voters to abolish the elected part-time treasurer position and instead replace it with a treasurer they appoint.

“It seems like our county has outgrown the need for the (elected) treasurer’s position,” said Commissioner Robert Andrews. “It’s an unnecessary position at this time, and in our best interest to streamline and eliminate that position.”

County officials say it would be better to appoint a professional because the state statute governing the position requires no financial qualifications. The statute’s only requirement is that the person elected be a county resident.

The question on the Nov. 3 ballot asks, “Shall the position of elected County Treasurer be abolished and replaced with a Treasurer appointed by the County Commissioners?”

Maine statutes state that an appointed treasure “must be qualified in the matters of business administration and finance.” 

Commissioners who spoke about the elected treasurer position at a Sept. 16 regular meeting say in today’s world, skilled, financially trained personnel are needed.

“Our (annual) budget is north of $25 million; we need professional expertise to manage that amount of money,” said York County Commissioner Richard Clark. 

He said the part-time elected treasurer position “doesn’t speak to … efficiency, skills, financial management or understanding of budgets.”

Bobby Mills, a Democrat and the sole candidate for the post in the Nov. 3 election, said an elected treasurer is preferable.

“An elected position actually provides more accountability to the voters and community as a whole,” he said via email. “An appointed position only creates another layer of bureaucracy.”

Mills disagrees with adding another professional staff salary to the county’s budget since the elected treasurer makes $500 a year.  He said he views the elected treasurer as a voice for county citizens.

“This position actually saves taxpayers money by making sure monies are spent wisely and not foolishly,” Mills said.

Mills described himself as a health-care professional and veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. He said he has a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in business/leadership and was a city councilor for 12 years in Biddeford and the county treasurer for six years.

An appointed treasurer would join the county’s professional finance director, a finance manager, and a finance staff of four.

York County Commissioners voted nearly 20 years ago to place finance operations in the hands of a professional finance director and staff, with investment decisions made in consultation with the board and county management. That decision came in the aftermath of the discovery in late 2006 and early 2007 of a $1.2 million fund balance deficit. Those in county government at the time said the deficit was due to accounting errors and a lack of timely audits. The elected board of York County Commissioners and an ad-hoc committee set about to right the ship. 

“In 2007, the county was basically bankrupt,” said York County Commission Chair Richard Dutremble, who joined the board of commissioners in mid-2006, just months before the financial condition of the county was discovered. 

He said hiring a finance professional was one of the first tasks the board undertook to get back on track.

 “We took the bull by the horns and set up a finance director position,” he recalled of that time. “The (elected) treasurer’s position was obsolete.”

In early 2026, Dutremble, who previously worked as a financial cost analyst and served as a comptroller in municipal government, pronounced that York County’s finances are “in the best shape they’ve been in 20 years.”

RHR Smith & Company, an auditing and financial services company, does three audits annually for the county – the financial statement audit and one each for federal and state compliance, because the county receives funds from both entities. 

“If we found problems, if we found error… we’d be required to report that to you in a separate letter and modify our report,” RHR Smith & Company Managing Partner Ron Smith told commissioners during an August presentation. “None of that happened in the County of York.”

Smith noted that York County received the firm’s highest opinion – an “A” grade.

In 2015, commissioners voted to reduce the salary of the elected part-time treasurer position to $500 annually, starting in 2018. Also in 2018, they voted to put the treasurer question to the voters, but the referendum to abolish the position failed to pass.

At the time, some voters indicated they believed an elected treasurer provided “an extra set of eyes,” on the county’s finances. Dutremble did not respond to questions from The Local News about why a staff treasurer is necessary if an elected one is not. He also did not respond to a question about the salary range for a staff treasurer. 

The current treasurer is Democrat Stacy Kilroy, who was appointed to the position in May 2024 by Gov. Janet Mills upon the resignation of the prior elected treasurer, Bobby Mills, now running again. Kilroy is not seeking re-election, and her term expires Dec. 31. She did not respond to questions from The Local News.

In addition to the referendum to abolish the elected treasurer position, voters will also receive a ballot to elect a treasurer. 

State election officials said that according to statute, if the county referendum to abolish the elected treasurer position is approved, the treasurer election itself would be rendered moot.

York County is among three Maine counties looking to abolish the elected treasurer position Nov. 3. Franklin and Washington counties also have the question on the ballot.

Currently, Cumberland, Androscoggin and Knox counties appoint treasurers.

If York County voters approve the referendum, York County Commissioners would appoint an individual to fill the treasurer role. That could be someone within the county administration like the manager, the finance director, or another individual.

This story is based on material contributed by Tammy Wells and additional reporting by The Local News.