BUCKLAND — After nearly six years at the helm, Town Administrator Heather Butler announced Tuesday that she plans to resign in April.

Butler told the Selectboard she has accepted the position of town administrator in West Boylston, located in Worcester County. While her last full day at Buckland Town Hall will be April 14, she plans to stay on in a part-time, remote capacity until April 30 to assist town staff in preparing for the May 3 Annual Town Meeting.

“I intend to work with staff and help prepare the community for Town Meeting on May 3,” Butler said. “I cannot reasonably expect that we will be ready by April 14 for Town Meeting. There’s just too much to be done and too many details that have to be taken care of at the last minute.”

Selectboard members thanked Butler for her service to the town and said she has set a high bar for town staff.

“It’s a loss to our town,” Selectboard member Joan Livingston said. “It’s been six years of really valuable service and you’ve been a great grant finder, that’s for sure. You’ll be missed.

“You’ve created a great team here,” Livingston continued. “As a reporter, I’ve been in many town halls and I am just impressed with how people work together here for the benefit of the town, and I believe you set that standard.”

“This is a wonderful opportunity for you and you deserve it. We’re just going to have to bear with it because it’ll be very hard to replace you,” Selectboard member Larry Wells said to Butler. “I wish you the very, very best. I think it helps your career, it helps your family. It’s really a move in the right direction.”

Butler said Buckland has an incredible team and she has greatly enjoyed working with her colleagues. She hopes her successor will continue to support staff and believes it will be a chance for the town to find someone who can help make progress on long-term goals.

“I believe we’re creating space for somebody who will step in and lead in the same manner, and support the team and support the town in the way they’ve come to expect,” Butler said. “I hope that it’s a wonderful opportunity for the community.”

Prior to joining Buckland in June 2019, Butler worked as the administrative manager in Athol and Concord.

Butler recommended the town create a search committee comprised of a Selectboard representative, a Finance Committee representative and one Buckland resident, and work with Community Paradigm Associates LLC, which Buckland used to recruit her for the town administrator role in 2019.

Community Paradigm Associates will create a community profile for the town, write up a job description and recruit candidates for the position, Butler said.

“Your community has an awful lot going for it,” Butler said. “I think there’s a lot of nice buzz about Buckland right now and I think you’re very marketable. I think if you advertise the position you’ll find that you’ll get some good candidates.”

The town will likely be without an administrator throughout the summer, Butler said. The Selectboard will have a few options for the day-to-day management of the town. They could hire an interim town administrator or work with staff and department heads directly while searching for a permanent candidate.

Butler said she had spoken to staff members who are working on a proposal outlining how a few town employees might take on more administrative duties in the meantime. They hope to present some ideas to the Selectboard at an upcoming meeting.

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.