The Board of Selectmen, after some discussion, approved the elevation of a part-time position in the Town Clerk’s Office to full time in response to both the COVID-related strain on that office and the significant increase in real estate transactions, which has also been partially attributed to the pandemic.

“At this point, we’re exhausted,” said Town Clerk Nancy Martucci.

The increase in salary will be permanent and will include benefits, however, the initial cost of about $8,000 will be covered by a reserve fund set aside by the clerk’s office.

Though a lot of functions of the Town Clerk’s Office can be accessed online, Martucci said that there has been a significant “strain” due to increases not just in real estate transactions, but other duties like marriage licenses and title searches, which may or may not be directly related to the pandemic.

A lot of that work, like marriage license, death certificates, and certain types of document searches can only be done in person, according to Martucci.

“We really need to be here in the office,” Martucci said.

Only four months into the fiscal year that started in July, Martucci said her office is at 73 percent of expected revenue, meaning they are overall doing more work, she said.

Martucci also said she is well above average in flat number of documents processed: more than 1,600 in four months, with a yearly average of about 3,400.

Both births and marriages are up as well during these first four months, according to Martucci, with 64 marriages this fiscal year—55 percent of the town’s average—and 53 percent of annual births.

Martucci said a further wave of marriages is likely once the pandemic begins to recede, possibly in the spring or early summer as vaccines become available to the public.

Selectman Erin Duques asked whether that position might be extended temporarily during the pandemic, and reduced once things “calm down” following a vaccine or a cooling of the real estate market.

Martucci noted that she had requested an increase in staffing even before the pandemic. The Town Clerk’s Office currently only employs two full time staff, along with a single part-time employee.

“I do see the extra need during COVID,” Martucci said, “But I also think because of the situation we’re in now, things are not going to be back to the way they were. There’s always going to be changes and procedures that we’re going to need to do for protective purposes, or people are not going to come back out to the office.”

Duques clarified that she understood the need for help, but said she would prefer these types of discussions to come up during the normal budget process rather than as a stand-alone, preliminary approval.

First Selectman Peggy Lyons said the position becoming permanently full-time could be “evaluated” again during the budget cycle, and must still be approved by the Board of Finance for future years.