Last week’s resignation of Mayor Pro Tem Amy Hutson put the new and deeply divided Palmer Lake board of trustees in a conundrum.

The board, which is split 3-3, needs to appoint a new tie-breaking trustee, but it cannot decide on the process. The new trustee could tip the scale one way or another, including on decisions about Buc-ee’s.

“I don’t think we’re going to be able to come to a compromise,” said trustee Atis Jurka at a board meeting last week.

Time is running out to solidify election plans for the Texas travel chain’s request to add a location to the town limits. A new ordinance approved by Palmer Lake voters in a petition-fueled special election requires any annexation to appear as a ballot question. The board of trustees, which would otherwise have had the final say, has tentatively selected Jan. 20 as a special election date.

The board would then have its own vote on the annexation plan at a meeting postponed until after the election, on Feb. 5.

But the plan has problems, including a procedural one: Jan. 20 is the day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Election workers would have to work on the holiday, and turnout could be affected, says town attorney Scott Krob.

The board would also need to finalize details about the organization of the election, including which election consultant to hire.

To fix the deadlock, trustees last week suggested three solutions, none of which gathered a majority. One faction suggested choosing among the prior candidates for the vacancy created when Dennis Stern was appointed as mayor earlier this year. Three candidates remain from that process after Mike Boyett was appointed and Beth Harris was elected to the board: Mike Beeson, John Marble and Alex Farr.

Harris said choosing among the three previously interviewed candidates would save time. The motion failed, with Roger Moseley and Jurka as the other “yes” votes.

“It makes sense, we already went through an application process,” said Jurka.

A second motion for the town to follow tradition and open applications to all qualified residents also failed along the same lines. Stern introduced the motion, with Boyett and Tim Caves agreeing. Arguments ensued among board members over the perceived biases of candidates.

“You are trying to bring on somebody for your team,” said Caves. “I’m trying to bring on somebody for the town.”

Two of the previously interviewed candidates, Marble and Beeson, attended the debate. Both stormed out at different times, with Marble accusing the board of considering him a “rubber stamp” voter.

“I think that’s very disrespectful for you to assume that of me,” he said, before leaving the meeting with an expletive directed at the board.

Jurka proposed that the vacancy just be put to a town election, another failed motion. If the vacancy is announced and not filled before 60 days, the town must automatically hold an election.

“I know it’s going to cost the town money, but it’ll be pretty much cut and clear who the town thinks the best candidate is,” he said.

With no solution reached, the board decided to continue the discussion on Hutson’s replacement and the special election date.