The Town of Coupeville has been without a planning director or a clerk treasurer since November 2023, according to Mayor Molly Hughes.

Clerk Treasurer Jennifer Carpenter and Planning Director Jesse Davis — who started on Oct. 17 to replace Donna Keeler— both left for personal reasons, the mayor said.

Initially, there was a job announcement for the fiscal clerk position as well, as the person in the role “felt like she needed to resign due to personal reasons,” the mayor said. However, the town was able to accommodate her, leading her to stay.

Hughes said it’s been hard to fill these positions and that the town is not the only municipality or corporation struggling with staff shortages. Currently, town hall staff have been taking on more tasks.

The finance department has a fiscal clerk, a deputy clerk (Chris Jolly, who started on Dec. 4), a utility clerk and the mayor, and they’re helping each other in the absence of a clerk treasurer. The planning department has an associate planner and a building official, and they’re covering bases there in the absence of the planning director.

“We’re all pitching in like we always do anytime there is a vacancy in any department,” Hughes said.