PITTSTON — A public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday to review a newly revised recall ordinance for municipal officials.

Pittston Selectman Joe Caputo takes part in the debate during Pittston town meeting March 16 at Pittston-Randolph Consolidated School. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Residents called on the town’s ordinance review committee to update the recall ordinance after a member of the public attempted to recall Pittston Selectman Joe Caputo in March. Caputo was accused of creating a hostile work environment and for making decisions as a selectmen that were not in the best interest of the town.

The efforts to recall Caputo failed, but out of the process came alterations to the two-decade-old ordinance.

The updated ordinance outlines a specific process and timeline for residents to follow if they want to recall one of the town’s municipal officials. To recall a municipal official, the official must have been in the role for more than three months, and only one municipal official in town can be recalled at a time.

It starts with a notice of intent to petition, which needs 25 signatures. Once that notice is returned, the clerk has one calendar week to prepare the petition forms. The petitioner has three weeks to circulate the petition and gather signatures that reflect at least 20% of the voting turnout in the last gubernatorial election. From there, the clerk has two weeks to certify the signatures and alert the Select Board.

An elected official can be recalled on the grounds of: failure to preform duties or abide by the duly passed decisions of the Select Board; a violation of the code of conduct that is not limited to a conflict of interest; any criminal conviction that has occurred while in office; and misuse of town funds or property.

The previous town recall ordinance did not specify the grounds for recalling an official and relied upon Maine state law to do so. State law minimums allow that a municipal official can only be recalled if they commit a crime in office.

“I know it’s been well worked on by Autumn DeVries and the ordinance review committee so I’m hoping the community will accept it and offer any suggestions. It’s not just our ordinance, but the community’s. I believe it’s well-written and ready to go,” said Select Board Chairperson Jane Hubert.

Wednesday night’s public hearing is at 6 p.m. before the regularly scheduled Select Board meeting.