It’s tempting to say that Hartford town government is in disarray at present; that, however, would imply that it was once in array. But in any case, even by historical standards, there are multiple signs of dysfunction this spring.

Take, for instance, the charter change sensibly approved by voters at Town Meeting that would have levied a 1 percent local option tax on rooms, meals and alcohol, the proceeds of which were intended to fund sorely needed infrastructure projects. Despite the voters’ assent, the charter change required legislative approval, which will apparently not be forthcoming for reasons that nobody seems able, or willing, to explain in a convincing fashion. At first, the issue was said to be lack of key documentation from the town  — minutes of a joint meeting of the Selectboard and School Board during which the question was dealt with could not be located. Once the minutes were found and a version submitted, other problems surfaced: The ballot question contained a summary of the charter change rather than the actual language, which also was not available when a public hearing was held prior to voting. So far, no one has alleged that voters didn’t fully appreciate what it was they were voting on, so one must assume that the problems the Legislature perceived were procedural in nature and constituted, in the words of interim Town Manager Pat MacQueen, a “fatal flaw.” This failure to dot the i’s and cross the t’s apparently will deprive the town of $250,000 in needed revenue during the coming fiscal year, and require going back to the drawing board for another vote. Residents are entitled to know not only why the process went off track, but also who was responsible.

 Then there’s the festering problem of Fairview Terrace and a crumbling retaining wall that now appears to present an imminent safety problem. This doesn’t come as a real surprise, given that prior Selectboards for years failed to engage with the issue because of the projected $3.4 million price tag to fully remedy it. The immediate choices appear to be Band-Aid fixes costing anywhere from $50,000 to $430,000, and involving one-way traffic, or alternating one-way traffic with a traffic control device, on the road supported by the retaining wall. “I’m appalled that it wasn’t already on the rails,” said new Selectboard member Alan Johnson, who was elected in March. He’s not the only one wondering why a bond issue wasn’t presented to voters before conditions were deemed critical.

And then there’s the so-called “pocket park” overlooking the Ottauquechee River near the Quechee Covered Bridge. For nearly five years, ever since Tropical Storm Irene, the flood-ravaged site has been an ugly scar on the face of the village, which the Selectboard and the town administration, through some baffling combination of indecision or inertia, have failed to erase. Finally in September, the Selectboard approved the $378,000 undertaking. Now, the newly constituted Selectboard, including members elected in March, is reassessing the project. The new board seems not to have ruled out an alternate $216,000 version that would simply stabilize the site and fence it off, especially in light of possible regulatory hurdles associated with the park plan. Despite assurances from the town staff that federal authorities likely will sign off on the more elaborate park plan, the board would be wise to trust but verify: Get it in writing from the relevant agencies. And it’s fair to ask how the pocket park plan got to the approval stage last fall if federal agencies still had reservations about it.

It may well be that the sudden unexplained departure of longtime Town Manager Hunter Rieseberg last August is implicated in these matters, both in the problems he left behind and his failure to fulfill a contract that would have provided for an orderly succession upon his departure. But help is on the way. A new manager has been hired and is due to start work in a couple of months. Perhaps he can help bring order out of chaos.