FAYETTE – About a dozen town residents met at Fayette’s Starling Hall Wednesday night to discuss their concerns about the town administration.

After a lengthy discussion the group, which calls itself Concerned Citizens for the Welfare of Fayette, agreed on short- and long-range goals.

The meeting comes on the heels of five recent resignations in the town, including Town Manager/Treasurer Jim Collins, two selectmen, and two Budget Committee members.

In light of Collins’ July 2 departure, the group said there were several items it feels the selectmen should consider immediately. It will ask selectmen for a treasurer’s audit to ensure that the books have been brought up to date and properly reconciled before a new treasurer is hired.

As the town begins the search for a new town manager, the group said it would also like the selectmen inform the public about how the process of recruiting and hiring a new town manager would work.

The group also identified issues regarding the town’s administrative system that it feels need to be resolved before a new manager is hired.

Those issues include establishing a review process to determine whether management and accounting responsibilities should be assigned to separate individuals, coming up with written policies town employees should follow for accounting and finance-related transactions, and demanding more accountability from the town manager and office staff.

The group also discussed its dismay with the tone and tenor of political meetings in town. Some citizens feel the meetings are marred by unprofessional conduct, as well as what they described as a lack of common courtesy and respect.

Members of the group expressed a consensus that officials need to work harder to bring more transparency to the town’s political process and notify residents of meetings and town events.

Several new residents of Fayette also spoke about the difficulty of knowing whom to call for answers regarding town services, and suggested the town needs a more “user-friendly” guide to town government and services.

People interested in joining the group or desiring more information may call former Budget Committee chairman Joe Young at 897-3093, former selectman Elaine Wilcox at 685-3886, or Barbara Kinney at 293-3333.