Link to the Annual Town Warrant

FISCAL YEAR 2026 DURHAM TOWN WARRANT ARTICLES

To: Kimberly Garneau, a resident of the Town of Durham, Androscoggin County, State of Maine Greetings: In the name of the State of Maine, you are hereby required to notify and warn the Inhabitants of the Town of Durham in said county and state, qualified by law to vote in Town affairs, to assemble at The Durham Eureka Community Center, 606 Hallowell Road, Durham, Maine on Friday,

April 4, 2025 at 7:45 a.m., then and there to act upon Article 1 and by written ballot on Article 2 as set out below. Polls will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Further, to notify and warn said inhabitants to assemble at Durham Community School on Saturday, April 5, 2025, at 9:00 a.m., then and there to act upon Articles 3 through 31 as set out to wit:

Article 1 To choose a moderator to preside at said meeting.

Article 2 To elect all municipal officers, school committee members, and budget committee members as are required to be elected.

Article 3 To see if the town will allow non-residents, who have information pertaining to any following articles, to speak when recognized.

Article 4 To see if the Town of Durham will vote to raise and appropriate an amount not to exceed one-and-a-half times the 2024 Durham Municipal Budget for any budget articles not approved in this warrant.

OPERATING BUDGET ARTICLES

Note that all requested amounts to be raised and appropriated below are for an eighteen-month period running from January 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. This period is referred to as “Fiscal Year

2026” and “FY26” in these warrant articles.

Article 5 To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate $1,143,060 for General Government.

FY24 Appr FY26 Req Administration $ 473,656 $ 808,250 Assessing 22,800 32,700 Information Technology 47,000 108,600

Planning and Code Enforcement 124,300 193,510 Select Board recommends $1,143,060 Budget Committee recommends $1,065,375

FISCAL YEAR 2026 DURHAM TOWN WARRANT ARTICLES

Article 6 To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate $1,055,920 for Public Safety.

FY24 Appr FY26 Req Fire Department $ 603,845 $ 1,026,920 Animal Control 18,650 29,000

Select Board and Budget Committee recommend $1,055,920.

Article 7 To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate $2,880,550 for Public Works. FY24 Appr FY26 Req Public Works $ 1,454,228 $ 2,102,500 Municipal Buildings & Grounds 22,235 52,250

Solid Waste Hauling 375,000 690,000 Tags 2,000 3,000 Bulky Waste Day 12,000 32,800

Select Board and Budget Committee recommend $2,880,550.

Article 8 To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate $1,000 for Community Services.

FY24 Appr FY26 Req General Assistance $ 600 $ 1,000 Outside Organizations 16,100 0

Select Board and Budget Committee recommend $1,000.

Article 9 To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate $805,318 for Debt Service. FY24 Appr FY26 Req Debt Service $ 780,349 $ 805,318 Select Board and Budget Committee recommend 805,318.

FISCAL YEAR 2026 DURHAM TOWN WARRANT ARTICLES

ADDITIONS TO RESERVES ARTICLES

Article 10 To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate $270,000 for the Fire Department Capital Reserve, an existing non-lapsing capital reserve fund from which the Select Board may expend for the designated purpose of the reserve. Select Board and Budget Committee recommend $270,000.

Article 11 To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate $305,500 for the Public Works Capital Reserve, an existing non-lapsing capital reserve fund from which the Select Board may expend for the designated purpose of the reserve.

Select Board and Budget Committee recommend 305,500.

Article 12 To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate $15,000 for the Municipal Buildings Capital Reserve, an existing non-lapsing capital reserve fund from which the Select Board may expend for the designated purpose of the reserve.

Select Board and Budget Committee recommend $15,000.

Article 13 To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate $3,152 for the Grants Matching Reserve, an existing non-lapsing capital reserve fund from which the Select Board may expend for the designated purpose of the reserve.

Select Board and Budget Committee recommend $3,152.

FUNDING SOURCES ARTICLES

Article 14 To see if the Town will vote to reduce the amounts authorized to be raised in taxes in the previous warrant articles by $3,651,770 based on estimates for non-tax municipal revenues.

FY24 Est FY26 Est Excise Taxes $ 1,100,000 $ 1,721,000 Licenses, Permits, and Fees 75,400 129,100 Intergovernmental Revenue 1,013,074 1,270,300 Charges for Services 172,000 279,370 Other Revenues 65,000 252,000 Select Board and Budget Committee recommend Approval.

FISCAL YEAR 2026 DURHAM TOWN WARRANT ARTICLES

Article 15 To see if the Town will authorize the Select Board to appropriate up to $740,000 from the General Fund’s existing fund balance to reduce the amounts authorized to be raised in taxes in the previous warrant articles. Select Board and Budget Committee recommend Approval.

APPROPRIATION FROM RESERVES

Article 16 To see if the Town will vote to consolidate the Telecommunications Reserve and Eureka Center Capital Reserve with the Municipal Buildings Capital Reserve and to revise the stated purpose of the reserve as follows: The Municipal Buildings Reserve shall be used to pay for acquisitions, construction, or improvements of municipal buildings and grounds, including equipment, furniture, information technology, and other necessary items to furnish and equip them. Unexpended balances of the reserve shall not lapse at the end of the fiscal year but shall, instead, carry forward from year to year.

Article 17 To see if the Town will vote to rename the Emergency Reserve as the Contingency Reserve and to establish the stated purpose of the reserve as follows: The Contingency Reserve shall be used to pay for unplanned, unbudgeted, or underbudgeted expenditures if they arise during the fiscal year. Unexpended balances of the reserve shall not lapse at the end of the fiscal year but shall, instead, carry forward from year to year.

Article 18 To see if the town will vote to transfer $33,047 from the Municipal Buildings Capital Reserve to the Contingency Reserve to bring the Contingency Reserve balance to $50,000.

FISCAL YEAR 2026 DURHAM TOWN WARRANT ARTICLES

ORDINANCE WARRANT ARTICLES

Article 19 Shall amendments to the Land Use Ordinance as set forth in the document "Town of Durham, Land Use Ordinance as Adopted at Town Meeting, April 6, 2024, Proposed Revisions for Town Meeting, April 5, 2025, PART 1- DRAFT AMENDMENTS TO THE RESOURCE PROTECTION DISTRICT TO MATCH THE LATEST STATE DATA & GIVE RELIEF FOR BUILDINGS IN THE RP DISTRICT (Article 2 & Zoning Map)” be enacted? Information Note: The proposed amendments remove areas previously designated as Beginning with Habitat 6+ natural resource values and to grant relief to landowners with existing buildings in Resource Protection.

Article 20 Shall amendments to the Land Use Ordinance as set forth in the document "Town of Durham, Land Use Ordinance as Adopted at Town Meeting, April 6, 2024, Proposed Revisions for Town Meeting, April 5, 2025, PART 2— DRAFT AMENDMENTS TO APPLY CONTRACT ZONING TO ANY LARGE BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE OR SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEM & ENACT BESS STANDARDS (LUO Articles 2, 3, 5, & 19)” be enacted? Information Note: The proposed amendments require contract zoning approval for large-scale energy projects and enact safety and other performance standards to apply to commercial and industrial scale battery energy storage systems.

Article 21 Shall amendments to the Land Use Ordinance as set forth in the document "Town of Durham, Land Use Ordinance as Adopted at Town Meeting, April 6, 2024, Proposed Revisions for Town Meeting, April 5, 2025, PART 4- DRAFT AMENDMENTS TO REVISE THE PROCESS AND STANDARDS FOR PROJECTS INVOLVING HISTORIC PROPERTIES (LUO Articles 5, 12, & 19)”be enacted? Information Note: The proposed amendments remove the Southwest Bend Historic District as a separately designated district and give the Historic Commission authority to review on an advisory basis all permits submitted for exterior changes to or demolition of historic structures throughout town.

FISCAL YEAR 2026 DURHAM TOWN WARRANT ARTICLES

BUSINESS ARTICLES

Article 22 To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Select Board to accept a deed from the Durham Cemetery Association for the cemetery property described in a deed from said Association recorded in the Androscoggin County Registry of Deeds at Book 7532, Page 346 and depicted on the Town’s tax maps as Map 006, Lot CEM, and to take all other actions necessary to assume contracts and other responsibilities related to care and management of said cemetery.

Article 23 To see if the Town will vote to change the Annual Town Meeting from the first Saturday in April to the second Saturday in June starting with June 13, 2026.

Article 24 To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Select Board to seek, accept and disburse grant funds from private, state or federal agencies, for the purpose so designated in each specific grant.

Article 25 To see what action the Town will take in regard to fixing interest on delinquent taxes and establishing a date for interest to start. Interest shall begin to accrue onall unpaid taxes forty-five days after the date taxes are committed. The interest rate on delinquent taxes shall be the maximum allowable by State Law.

Article 26 To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Select Board to dispose of town owned property which they determine is no longer needed or usable by the town, on such terms as they deem advisable.

Article 27 To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Select Board, on behalf of the Town, to sell and/or dispose of any property acquired by tax liens in their discretion as permitted by law, and to allow the Select Board to authorize the Treasurer Ito waive automatic lien foreclosures when it is in the best interest of the Town.

Article 28 To see if the Town will vote to set the interest rate to be paid by the Town on overpayment of abated taxes at 2% pursuant to 36 MRS § 506-A.

FISCAL YEAR 2026 DURHAM TOWN WARRANT ARTICLES

Article 29 To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Tax Collector or Treasurer to accept prepayments of taxes not yet due or assessed, and to pay interest thereon at an interest rate of 0% pursuant to 36 MRS § 506.

Article 30 To see if the Town will authorize the Select Board to resolve any disputes with parties having an interest adverse to that of the Town which do not involve the expenditure of public funds or where there are sufficient funds in budgeted accounts to allow payment of any claim which is to be settled.

Article 31 To see if the Town will authorize the Select Board to move up to 5% of budget lines that have unexpended appropriations to other budget lines, as they deem necessary, to avoid individual budget lines being over-expended.

Given r our hands this 25" day of March 2025 by the Durham Select Board:

Joseph Roy, Chai

NS Josh ews Joseph Tomm ‘4 ny Heather Roy Deborah Oliver

Aitest, A Trug Copy, y§ - / LAL Xo

DURHAM, MAINE

MARCH 26, 2025

Pursuant to the within warrant to me directed, | have notified and warned the inhabitants of said town, qualified as herein expressed, to meet at said time and place, for the purposes therein named, by posting an attested copy of said warrant on the bulletin board at the Town Office, 630 Hallowell Road; on the bulletin board at the Durham Community School, 654 Hallowell Road; and on the bulletin board at the Get and Go convenience store, 697 Royalsborough Road, being conspicuous places in said town, on the 26" day of March 2025 A.D., being at least seven days before the meeting. Kimberly Garneau.