The inhabitants of the Town of Wales shall continue to be a municipal corporation under the name of the Town of Wales, established February 1, 1816.
[Amended 6-13-2026]
The Town shall have all powers possible for a municipality to have under the Constitution and laws of Maine. The powers under this Charter shall be construed liberally in favor of the Town, and any mention of particular powers in this Charter shall not be construed to be exclusive or limiting in any way to the general power stated in this article.
The Town may exercise any of its powers or perform any of its functions and may participate in the financing thereof, jointly or in cooperation, by contract or otherwise, with any one or more political subdivisions of this state or of the United States or any agencies thereof, including any public agencies of this state or of the United States. The exercise of such power shall be governed by which statutes pertain to interlocal cooperation.
The government of Wales under this Charter shall consist of Town Meetings, an elected Board of Selectmen, and elected School Board members, an appointed Town Clerk, and other boards, committees and officials as may be duly authorized, appointed or elected pursuant to this Charter, general law or ordinance.
[Amended 6-13-2026]
a. 
Any elected or appointed official or School Board member representing the Town of Wales may be recalled and removed therefrom by the qualified voters of the Town of Wales as herein provided.
b. 
Any 10% of the voters of the municipality in the last gubernatorial election may make and file with the Town Clerk a petition containing the name or names of the member or members whose withdrawal is sought and a general statement of the reasons why such removal is desired. The Town Clerk shall thereupon prepare petition blanks for such removal as desired. The Town Clerk shall thereupon prepare petition blanks for such removal with a copy of said petition and general statement printed thereon or attached thereto, which shall contain the signature of said Town Clerk, and his/her seal, and which shall be dated, addressed to the Board of Selectmen, and contain the name or names of the person or persons whose removal is sought. The Town Clerk shall file said petition blanks and shall, during office hours for the next 20 business days thereafter, keep the same open for signatures by qualified voters of the Town, and no such petition blanks shall be signed or presented for signature at any place other than the Town Clerk's office, and not until the person whose signature is being solicited is fully informed that the petition calls for the removal of a Town official from office shall such petition be signed. The recall petition to be effective must be signed by at least 20% of the registered voters of the Town and contain the signatories' street and number or other description sufficient to identify the place. At the expiration of said 20 business days, the Town Clerk shall declare the petition closed and shall within five business days ascertain whether or not the petition is signed by the requisite number of voters and shall attach thereto his/her certificate showing the result of such examination.
c. 
If the petition shall be certified by the Town Clerk to be sufficient, he/she shall submit the same with his/her certificate to the Board of Selectmen at its meeting and shall notify the officer(s) or officials whose removal is sought of such action. The Board of Selectmen shall within five business days of the receipt of the Town Clerk's certificate order an election to be held not less than 30 nor more than 40 calendar days thereafter, provided that, if a regular municipal election is to occur within 60 days after the receipt of said certificate, the Board of Selectmen may, in its discretion, provide for the holding of the recall election on the date of such other municipal election. The recall election shall be called and held.
d. 
In case a majority of those voting for or against the recall of any official shall vote in favor of recalling such official, he/she shall be removed. In that event, the candidate to succeed him/her for the balance of the unexpired term shall be determined at a second election following the procedure for a regular municipal election as outlined in Section 105c.
e. 
Should the Board of Selectmen fail or refuse to order an election as herein provided, such election may be called by a notary public in the county on written petition of a number of voters equal to 10% of the number of votes cast in the Town at the last gubernatorial election, but in no case less than 10 (30-A M.R.S.A. §§ 2501 to 2504).