In a surprise move, the Kremmling Town Board decided to make a change in the town clerk’s position at Wednesday’s meeting.

Sharon Cesar tendered her resignation as town clerk after the trustees voted 5-1 to begin an applicant search for the position. She had served as Kremmling’s town clerk for the past 21 years.

In Cesar’s place, the board unanimously voted to appoint Rhonda Shearer as the new town clerk. Shearer has been working as an administrative assistant for the town’s various departments since June. She is also the Kremmling Municipal Court’s clerk.

Commenting after the meeting, Town Manager Ted Soltis said he wanted to thank Cesar for her years of service to Kremmling.

“I think the town owes a debt of gratitude to Sharon,” he said. “As town boards and department officials came and went, she always added stability to the town’s government. We were fortunate to have her services for so long. She is a very helpful and caring individual.”

On the appointment of Shearer as the new town clerk, Soltis said she was a good choice for that position because she is “very capable, competent and a quick learner.”

The trustees’ vote that led to Cesar’s resignation was part of the board’s annual appointment-of-officers process. In it, they had the option of approving the person already holding that officer’s position or asking to begin a search for applicants.

Prior to the vote on the appointments, Trustee Grant Burger III argued strongly that all the current officers had done “a great job for the town.” Saying he disliked the “appointment process” and the town has the right to “hire and fire” at anytime, he said that failing to re-appoint those who had served so well would show a “lack of dignity and respect.”

In the balloting on the appointment of the town’s other officers, the trustees’ votes for re-appointment or to begin an applicant search were: Treasurer Doris McCallie, 6-0; Police Chief Scott Spade, 6-0; Municipal Court Judge Georgia Noriyuki, 6-0; and Town Attorney Alan Hassler, 4-2.

In other business at Wednesday’s meeting, the town board approved an amendment to the zoning ordinance on oversized garages. It increases the maximum allowed from 800 to 1,200 square feet.

The board also reviewed draft copies of reservation forms for groups to use the town’s parks for special events. As part of their discussion, the trustees made suggestions for the amount of fees to be charged for damage deposits and electrical costs.

In his report to the board, Public Works Director Doug Moses said that his department’s staff has fallen to 50 percent and that interviews are being conducted to fill the vacancies.

Meanwhile, the Public Works Department has begun street sweeping and removal of the debris from the streets. Moses explained the town’s main street, which is U.S. Highway 40, is usually cleaned last because of the sanding that is required to handle spring snowstorms.

Moses also told the board that his department is getting an increasing number of requests from home and business owners to maintain alleys. Although the town policy has been not to maintain the alleys, some maintenance work has been done on a case-by-case basis.

However, if the alley maintenance policy were to change at the direction of the board, he said Public Works does not have right size of equipment to “physically get through” some of the alleyways.