Link to the FY2027 Durham Town Warrant Articles

FISCAL YEAR 2027 DURHAM TOWN WARRANT ARTICLES

To: Kevin Merrill, 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 AMVETS Hall, 1049 Royalsborough Road, Durham, Maine on Tuesday, June 9, 2026 at 7:45 a.m., then and there to act upon Article 1 and by secret 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, June 13th, 2026, at 9:00 a.m., then and there to act upon Articles 3 through 30 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 will vote in the event that any proposed budget articles in this warrant are not approved, the Town is authorized to raise and appropriate for the Same purposes as previously approved an amount not to exceed the twelve (12) month equivalent of the 2026 Municipal Budget, said equivalent to be determined by dividing the eighteen (18) month budget by one and one-half.

OPERATING BUDGET ARTICLES

Note that all requested amounts to be raised and appropriated below are for a twelve-month period running from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027. This period is referred to “Fiscal Year 2027” in these warrant articles.

FISCAL YEAR 2027 DURHAM TOWN WARRANT ARTICLES

Article 5 To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate $821,165 for General Government.

FY26 Appr FY27 Reg Administration $ 808,250 $ 608,340 Assessing $ 32,700 $ 26,800

information Technology $ 108,600 $ 77,515 Planning and Code Enforcement $ 193,510 $ 108,510 Select Board recommends $821,165. Budget Committee recommends $763,309.

Article 6 To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate $776,090 for Public Safety.

FY26 Appr FY27 Re Fire Department $ 1,026,920 $ 753,490 Animal Control $ 29,000 $ 22,600

Select Board recommends $776,090. Budget Committee recommends $745,485.

Article 7 To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate $1,979,352 for Public Works. FY26 Appr FY27 Req Public Works $ 2,102,500 $ 1,419,582 Municipal Buildings & Grounds $ 52,250 $ 38,720 Solid Waste Hauling $ 725,800 $ 521,050 Select Board recommends $1,979,352. Budget Committee recommends $1,922, 727.

Article 8 To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate $1,000 for Community Services. FY26 Appr FY27 Re General Assistance $ 1,000 $ 1,000 Select Board and Budget Committee recommend $1,000.

FISCAL YEAR 2027 DURHAM TOWN WARRANT ARTICLES

Article 9 To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate $624,111 for Debt Service. FY26 I __FY27Req Debt Service $ 805,318 $ 624,111 Select Board and Budget Committee recommend 624,111.

ADDITIONS TO RESERVES ARTICLES

Article 10 To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate $140,000 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 recommends $140,000. Budget Committee recommends $40,000.

Article 11 To See if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate $250,000 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 $250,000.

Article 12 To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate $5,000 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 recommends $5,000. Budget Committee recommends $0.

. FISCAL YEAR 2027 DURHAM TOWN WARRANT ARTICLES FUNDING SOURCES ARTICLES

Article 13 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.

Note: Total Intergovernmental estimates will change based on the state’s final projections for State Revenue Sharing and based on Homestead and BETE reimbursement valuations and the selected mil rate.

__FY26Est Y27 Est

Excise Taxes $ 1,721,000 $ 1,286,300 Licenses, Permits, and Fees $ 129,100 $ 160,500 Intergovernmental Revenue $ 1,383,792 $ 1,001,221 Charges for Services $ 279,370 $ 296,120 Other Revenues $ 252,000 $ 160,000 Select Board and Budget Committee recommend Approval.

Article 14 To see if the Town will authorize the Select Board to appropriate up to $500,000 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 recommends $500,000. Budget Committee recommends $350,000.

2026 ORDINANCE WARRANT ARTICLES PART 1 — MINOR POLICY CHANGES

Article 15 Shall an ordinance entitled "Town of Durham, Land Use Ordinance as Adopted at Town Meeting, April 5th, 2025, Proposed Revisions for Town Meeting, June 13, 2026, PART 1- MINOR POLICY CHANGES” being enacted as recommended by the Planning Board to address the issues of: 1) back lots & private ways; 2) expansion of nonconforming structures; 3) subdivision road buffers; 4) fire protection water supplies; 5) marijuana growing facilities loophole; 6) State requirements for manufactured housing & accessory apartments; and, 7) road frontage calculations. “Copies are available at the Town Office or online at durhammaine. gOV.

FISCAL YEAR 2027 DURHAM TOWN WARRANT ARTICLES

PART 2 — ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES

Article 16 Shall an ordinance entitled "Town of Durham, Land Use Ordinance as Adopted at Town Meeting, April 5th, 2025, Proposed Revisions for Town Meeting, June 13, 2026, PART 2 - ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES” be enacted as recommended by the Planning Board to: 1) update road Standards; 2) update driveway standards; 3) reassign zoning boundary determination authority; 4) require subdivision solid waste plans; 5) streamline campground permitting; 6) extend Planning Board submission deadlines & reduce printed copies; 7) allow Select Board corrections of textual errors; 8) require proof of payment of taxes: 9) list conditional use application submissions; and, 10) limit tree clearing in subdivisions before approval. “Copies are available at the Town Office or online at durhammaine.gov.

PART 3 — CODIFICATION OF LAND USE ORDINANCE

Article 17 Shall an ordinance entitled "Town of Durham, Land Use Ordinance as Adopted at Town Meeting, April 5th, 2025, Proposed Revisions for Town Meeting, June 13, 2026, PART 3 - CODIFICATION be enacted to enact a digitized version with editorial Changes to be known as the Land Use Code and to incorporate any changes approved in Warrant Articles X and/or Y if approved by voters. “Copies are available at the Town Office or online at ¢ urhammaine.gov.

BUSINESS ARTICLES

Article 18 To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Select Board to appropriate and transfer to the Penguins Snowmobile Club an amount not to exceed the total funds received by the Town from the State for snowmobile registrations, for the purpose of maintaining the Club’s network of snowmobile trails: provided that such trails shall be open to the public to snowmobile at all times during the snow season at no charge.

Article 19 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 20 To see what action the Town will take to fix the rate of interest on delinquent taxes and to establish the dates on which such interest shall begin to accrue. Interest on all unpaid taxes shall begin to accrue on October 16 and April 16 following the commitment of taxes. The interest rate on delinquent taxes shall be the maximum allowable by State law.

FISCAL YEAR 2027 DURHAM TOWN WARRANT ARTICLES

Article 21 To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Select Board to dispose of town property which they determine is no longer needed or usable by the town, on such terms as it deems advisable.

Article 22 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 to waive automatic lien foreclosures when it is in the best interest of the Town.

Article 23 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.

Article 24 To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Tax Collector to accept prepayments of taxes not yet due or assessed, and no pay interest thereon.

Article 25 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 26 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.

Article 27 To see if the Town will vote to establish a Paving Reserve Account for the purpose of funding road construction, reconstruction, and or maintenance, and to authorize the Select Board to transfer any unexpended balances remaining in paving-related appropriations at the end of the 2027 fiscal year into said reserve account, such funds to be expended for future road improvements in subsequent fiscal years; and further to authorize the Select Board to expend funds from said account for those purposes.

Article 28 To see if the Town will authorize the Select Board to transfer the proceeds from any sales of capital assets into the Town’s related capital reserve funds.

Article 29 To see if the Town will vote, pursuant to 20-A M.R.S. § 1003, to establish that the term of newly elected school board members shall start on the 30th day of June, immediately following the municipal election.

FISCAL YEAR 2027 DURHAM TOWN WARRANT ARTICLES

Article 30 To see if the Town of Durham (Town) will vote to change its Maine Public Employees Retirement System (MainePERS) plan to adopt Regular Plan AC for eligible full-time employees and appointed officials effective July 1, 2026, for future service only. The Town agrees to:

a) Adopt Regular Plan AC for its permanent, full-time employees who are not seasonal and its full-time appointed officials for service rendered after June 30, 2026. Any service accrued by full-time employees and appointed officials before July 1, 2026, remains under Regular Plan AN; and

b) Continue to exclude employees and appointed officials who work less than full- time, seasonal employees, temporary employees and select board members, from participating in The Plan. Cc) To authorize Jerry Douglass, Town Manager to sign the Amended Agreement between the Town and Maine Public Employees Retirement System. Article approved as written. Given under our hands this 1st day of June 2026 by the Durham Select Board:

” Joseph Roy, Chair a ns ) Josh Klein-Golden, Vice Chair J Deborah Oliver ff Gey oo RebekafiPolster—~— Be } I ft John Talbot