Deputy town treasurer’s upcoming departure will leave the office vacant

EXETER — Deputy Town Treasurer Teri Donovan is resigning from her part-time position with the town of Exeter to take a full-time position in the Narragansett Town Clerk’s office.

Donovan’s last day in Exeter will be July 2 and she will begin her new job July 13.

“I think it will be a better fit for me,” said Donovan, who has held the position for a little more than a year-and-a-half.

Prior to being named Exeter’s deputy treasurer, Donovan worked as the Jamestown Town Clerk for 14 years and then in the North Kingstown clerk’s office for about four years.

While she came to Exeter with a background in municipal government, Donovan did not have a financial background and said the position was something of “a personal reach” for her.

Donovan said she worked well with and learned a lot from former town treasurer Richard Walker, who resigned from his elected post in late March.

A replacement for Walker has yet to be found and with Donovan leaving, the treasurer’s office will now be unstaffed.

Town council President Calvin Ellis said Donovan had “been invaluable, without any question” to the town, particularly since Walker’s departure.

Donovan has offered to help the council as her schedule allows during the transition and Ellis said the town’s municipal finance committee, established in January, has also offered to help the council in its search for a replacement.

The municipal finance committee is an ad-hoc committee comprised of five individuals with financial backgrounds, three of whom are certified public accountants. The town council established the committee to offer the council guidance on financial and budgetary matters.

Ellis said the deputy treasurer’s position will be advertised in local newspapers and online.

“We can only hope given the economic climate, that some qualified folks will come forward,” Ellis said.

Donovan called her time in the treasurer’s office “a very positive experience” and said she believes the knowledge she gained in the position will help her in her next position.

Donovan also credits the sitting town council with convincing voters how important the deputy treasurer’s position is to the town.

Two years ago ”the position existed on paper but it wasn’t funded,” she said.

The council advocated for the position at the 2008 financial town meeting but their proposal to fund the position was defeated by Exeter voters.

At this year’s financial town meeting the council again pushed for taxpayers to approve a competitive salary for the position. The effort paid off and voters approved a $31,000 salary for the deputy treasurer’s position.

“They helped voters see the value of having someone in the office on a daily basis to oversee payroll and bills,” Donovan said. “It’s still a part-time position without benefits but for $31,000 the odds of attracting someone qualified have improved.”

Voters defeated a proposal at this year’s FTM to increase the treasurer’s annual salary from $18, 173.46.