The resignation of Mark Carota from the Chelmsford Select Board has created a potentially costly dilemma for the town.

According to Town Clerk Patricia Dzuris, consultation with Special Counsel for Elections at the Secretary of State’s Office determined that the earliest a special election can be held under Massachusetts General Laws is 64-days after the selection of a new Board Chair. Given that the next Select Board meeting is scheduled for September 25th, that date is November 28, 2023.

Dzuris pegs the cost of that election at just a hair under $39,000.

Massachusetts General Laws also contain a stipulation that a signature petition submitted 100 days before the next regularly scheduled election would trigger a special election as well. The next town election is scheduled for April 2, 2024. The 100-day mark prior to that date is December 24, 2023.

The Select Board is expected to take the issue up at their next meeting in September, while residents interested in holding a special election must gather the signatures of either 200 registered voters, or 20% of the total registered voters in town, whichever is less.

With the November 28th date being the earliest voters could go to the polls, both the Select Board and any interested residents must decide if a little more than four months of service from a fifth Select Board member is worth $39,000.