TranscriptSelect Board Meeting ~ April 23, 2024

of us have lived here a long time we've been good stewards of the land and we feel U we just feel like we've been uh dealt a bad blow you know so uh and unfortunately it went to town these things to I I love Town meetings I love the way the government is but things can happen really fast with misinformation and once the vote is done you've you've you've uh you've done things to people that can't be undone easily so I I'm in I I agree with John almost completely on what said thanks thank [Music] you any other public comment seeing none we'll uh go to Old

business we uh we had previously discussed the um final review the the U bylaws and policies of the select board and so we were going to do one final review I don't know if everyone's had a chance to review the notes that were Tak Tak previously there's any discussion you want to have yeah I was I was going to make one suggestion I had mentioned um but um but I I reread it and um I like the the uh I like the wording in there it looks fine to me okay yeah I also think the content was good okay yeah I saw a few grammal things we need to fix I think and do you want to could we discuss those now so we can make those and and I think I think the intent was to present this at our next meeting um I forgot the date May 14th and and vote on it then so if we could make the changes now okay do you want to give your input Heather then I'll I'm comfortable with the changes that we've already made so far okay and

I did uh have a short conversation with Joe this morning uh and and he was happy with the way things were set up and this document and so much sense to just email those changes yeah y if it's just just grammatical comfortable with that yeah I'm fine with that all right um so then I think at our next meeting we'll review those and hopefully have a vote to enact those bylaws right and so now we'll move on to a new business um Steve seni am I saying

that correctly yep all right and so you're representing local farmers and you're here to present uh the main agricultural working group Charter for the town of Durham come on come up have a all everyone has it everyone has had a chance to to look at it okay um so my

name is Steve CI um I own and operate oldc Ranch on the Davis Road and I am also the um chair of the board for the anders scogin Valley Soil and Water Conservation District um it in 2018 the town pass a comprehensive plan which I sat on the board or on the committee that formed that comprehensive plan and was asked to be on that for someone to represent agriculture in town um since that is a part of our town and it is part of comprehensive plans um and so if you know that includes the goal to create a farming forestry and Advisory Board um originally um I had asked that egg and Forestry kind of be separated I feel like they are always kind of grouped into one and I don't have anything to do with forestry and they don't have anything to do with agriculture so it is a product we produce products um from

nature um there were um certain use ordinances um that we were trying to figure out could be the future to help support local farms so in the comp plan it says certain things that we would like to see um but nothing has been done with that at this point obviously um so that's why we have been um meeting um to um try to figure out starting this uh

calling ourselves kind of a working group to start because that makes more sense to start with instead of a commission or a committee or any of this kind of stuff um we have held two of these meetings so far had some really nice turnout with uh citizens that are

interested in what would happen with a in this town we've have Farmers that have come we have retired Farmers that are there um and then out of that we have um put together this draft um going off of help me here Thatcher from Main farmline trust is here this evening he is also kind of helping support us in this because it is now spring and very busy um and so he is a a

complete resource that um is helping especially today um and getting our meetings going and stuff so with that the town of Winslow was the first town in Maine to create an agricultural working committee I think um and so we looked at their kind of

Charter and another town what was the other town I think Jonah built um in portions of what you all did with the Durham Conservation Commission as well so used that as a framewor right so we kind of came up with a draft um using those examples and then kind of spread it around for comments and and then came up with what you were given

um um I think in there you can see what our potential purposes um how we plan to organize and membership um and then how we um hope to have the roles and responsibilities at this point all we have um pretty much put together is this draft and then uh kind of our own semi bylaws of how we would like to work with each other you know um and that's about as far as we are um I think the benefit in forming this working group is so that

um people with ag lands uh that are either farming it or have people farming it or are interested in um there's someone to help have a voice in saying on how ordinances and stuff are presented currently right now as it stands which I've been in front of the planning board for multiple things um I'm kind of just like a contractor and that's that's a little hard at times to to try to meet all that stuff um the big one for us because we

were interested in it was um diversifying what we do into suag tourism which there was no definition I sat with the planning board for an hour and a half literally and they were like we don't know what to do with you because I am also the first conserved Farmland in the town of Durham which means I have already put my own limitations on so it will be there in perpetuity um my apologies um so that is

something that I hope that this working group can kind of be a a voice but also somewhere a sounding board for um planning board Selectmen all kinds of parts of town government to kind of come to us with things and say hey what do you think of this or how would this affect or and then we can kind of work with the citizens invested in that and come with proposals or advice or help is what I'm hoping um so to give you a very detailed

kind of overview of what we're doing but then also didn't know if you had any questions as well so I'll open it up does anybody have any questions I always have questions go for it um so you touched on the comprehensive plan and one of the the roles that's established in the comprehensive plan is a commission or a committee around agriculture and so I I heard you say I

think I heard you say that this was are you looking for this to take on that role that's outlined or is this the beginning of that and then you're hoping to move towards that I I would think it would be smart for us to start as a group and work towards a committee or a commission okay kind of following in the steps of getting organized having a plan right like what are we interested in doing as farmers or people with AGS in this town so yeah

okay um and then I think that the timing of this is great in terms of the fact that we just approved at town meeting to codify our land use ordinance and so there we will see a lot of changes coming just from like grammatical and you know that type of stuff but I think the timing is appropriate for this to happen because all of those changes are going to be taking place correct um and then my only other thing that I want to say right now is that um under the organization and membership part section A the agricultural working group shall be comprised of 5 to 12 members approved for threeyear terms by the select board so I think we do need to have a conversation about whether or not I just want to make sure we're doing things in the right order if as as a select board where approving I would prefer that that says appointing because that's what all the other processes go through is the application and then the

S board appoints the members but then I feel like we're getting into establishing what the comprehensive plan is asking us to do in terms of a committee the way we just did with the solid waste or we did with the union church so I appreciate that you're trying to organize I just think that maybe that's going to get convoluted and maybe right from the GetGo we should be just to meet those marks that the comprehensive plan outlines for us but up it's more um us wanting to make sure we're able to fulfill that right like I don't want to

I know as a group we were like slow and steady right because number one a lot of us on there are farmers or there's other parts of life that are getting very very very very busy right now so it's it's hard um so I hear that

and I will absolutely we can discuss that for sure but that does make sense you saying that yeah anything else I the only I was got to say so it sounds like you already might have some recommendations uh and adjustments maybe for comp plan and ordinances is that a true statement based on on your experiences already deal deal with the ordinances are there some things that I wouldn't say we have suggestions what we did do is we took um in a in a

exercise we took those parts of the comprehensive plan kind of put them out and the wonderful little sticker thing where you go around say I'm interested in this I'm interested in this I'm interested so we kind of nailed down like three things that we would be interested in to start

not knowing what that really means yet but we I wouldn't say we have any suggestions at this point we are just formulating what we're interested in starting to work on for the town I mean my thought was is that if they had suggestions now that when we have our meeting with the heads in two weeks or a week correct we were kind of given all that information and it was like know we got but we could at least put it on the agenda on items to go look at especially with the codification and other that will come up we only usually tackle X number every which I think we would be more than willing to share our ideas at this point but they're simply ideas okay

think it's a great idea before I no no um so is there a chance to ask sh what what's the process here no I think I think based on what we have we have Mr C's sort of The Limited presenter tonight okay so I guess I just wanted to preface to Steve about definitions that's something of what we were interested in discussing right so that would be establishing definition according to ordinance so one of our suggestions would be that correct so I think this is a place for us to start um and I think I think it's incumbent on us to get together and present this uh

and and what you've done has given us this group this Charter right um and for us to to finalize it I know I have questions like why I I personally don't like the 5 to 12 members I'd like a set number um absolutely and so those those sorts of things U but I think that we need to put this um on our agenda coming up soon um and and and um hopefully we can

well I I think you've given us a head start and uh and we can just review it with any other questions we might have um put something together and uh then hopefully we can get this started absolutely thank you all for for the great work you've done yep um making it making our job a lot easier in the future right I think so well the the point is just to keep moving forward and so did you have something Jerry I just that meeting on the 7th would it be premature to have them one of these folks sit in on that just to sort of see how that whole process goes and or is it how it was a thought we had wondering if not knowing how the procedure would go this evening you were wanting to form this working group or not or come back or whatever it would be nice to maybe have someone at that table just to understand how that goes or how that works but it's also understanding that

has any thoughts I have I have some but I'll I I want to hear what your thoughts are so I I I'm hesitant only because I can't remember how we put it out uh what we're doing um I suppose we could we could change it because it is our meeting um but my recommendation what I

would prefer is for you to send you know the three ideas that you had right um to Jerry and um and then you can present those and and and I don't probably send it to Jerry and John talet and and he can present those to us when would you like those because this is May 7th am I correct the meeting news I would like to a half hour before the meeting at the latest I I don't think you know how we work sometimes amazing I don't think it stops you from coming yeah I want to be clear I want to be clear I just I think we were trying to sort of limit it absolutely because I think I think we had already said that there was at least one committee or that that we weren't we wanted presented through another person so um but I I

think presenting it that way will get to us um and we can work on that the day before right okay well we will probably get them to you sooner than that yeah we will we will get those formulated and then and so anything else do you have for us not that I have at this point I mean you guys have the draft so you kind of see what we're thinking and what we're interested in the more that we're going through this I'm feeling more strongly about my position that about it being established through us first the way we did the other committees just especially knowing what their intent is um um because I think it's it's hard it'll be harder perhaps where we form the solid waste committee and we give them no direction and then months and months and months and months goes by right and then they come they want Direction they want Direction they want Direction because ultimately it ends up on our table as to

whether and we with that being said that's not to say that we don't want your input and your because clearly I'm not a farmer and I know nothing about what it is that you need to be able to do your job effective L right but I am feeling like

the correct process would be for us to establish this so that it falls in line with the way that the other structures have um gone but we we can talk about that at our next meeting does that seem appropriate I don't know what's on our next meeting and so I don't want to Joe will be back so I think he'll be setting up the agenda with Jerry but um uh

because this is is in the land use ordinance because I think it's important I think it's setting a tone for how we're supporting the different Industries Community within our community I think it's important to get this started and uh and also you know invite others who want to do something similar to to do it but I think that we should set this up I agree um and uh I

think this shows us this is how we should start these committees when we when we form them with corre with a charter this unlike what we did with the solid way with just kind of saying it and then putting it out there so uh I mean you saved saved us a lot of work I appreciate that um and I can't wait to hear what you have to say and and keep working with you my only question is um

is it all right if we start getting people interested in being yes on this together and get them that and what do you guys need for information for them there there's a nomin I think it's a nomination form is what it's called I can't remember appointment form thank you appointment form yeah and so there'll be so once the committee uh is authorized by by this board uh they'll be out on the website and the newsletter and it's appointment by Municipal and and so there'll be a form and there'll be a call for um call for participation or participants thank you um and so at that point we just people to apply awesome and if you're if we establish that say I'm just saying going off what we did with solid waste we have five committee members and two alternates and if we were to do the same thing with this committee that's not to say that you can't have more participation or more people at the table AB it would just be

that your voting members were were was that establishment and I think uh I know the five the five to 12 was kind of a shot in the dark you know because we we had literally 20 people at the first meeting which is great and it's like oh oh like you know a little surprising and at the same time wonderful to see right so that's what we want to see so and if you can make our meeting on the 7th even though maybe you won't have a seat at the table I think it would be good for you to be there I would love to have one of us there just to kind of see the process and see how that goes going forward because I I'm assuming that this is something that will probably start happening every year right okay oh well I I'm saying right me yes I well it yes I think as long as Jerry's here it's going to be happening every year right so great and then I also think it's worth noting maybe the administrative pieces that go along with the committee

agendas and meetings and we publicize the meeting times right that is all in that Charter of how we we understand that Y and it's more just us that's why the thought of being at May 7th like not really organized yet yeah right just felt like I don't think we to have someone there to see the process though so we can start understanding more so we can be a part of it from the get-go would be great so awesome I think it's great thank you thank you invol thank you very much I feel I have my back to you when I'm over here I'm sorry all right everyone I felt like I wanted to get the public comment contact information I feel like left and people that were here left so I was going to ask Jessica if she could get that because I had some questions too just the two gentlemen who spoke at

the public comment if you the contact information if it's available if you have well we'll we can figure it out we can get we can get it but fure the okay no that's fine cuz I was I was I was listening I wrote I got the name I know I both of them knows both usually get at multitasking but I was too busy listening Then I then I remember beginning so I was trying toig okay comment I don't think got oh it didn't yeah the volume wasn't working I yeah something we figured it out okay um his comments maybe we could ask for him to give us the statement well that's I that's I wanted to reach out to ask if you could put that in writing so we could sort of address it later on yeah yeah cuz we do need to absorb those comments that was yeah that was that was what I I was going to ask um

so I don't know it's new business is it appropriate to say just a suggestion about that or is that not appropriate right now about well I just feel like I would like to preface the start of public comment where people that never come to our meetings and they don't necessarily know that it's not a back and forth exchange it it's hard for me to not acknowledge people when they come here and they they're so passionate about something we can I think we we can find a way to do that I I agree I agree I especially tonight there were a couple yes um all right so I know

it says manager report but I think Jerry before we get to you Jessica wanted to steal the show yes oh I just want to report about the recount so the recount out the results came out the same so Stacy Howard was appointed as um rc5

board member so um the count came out 179 Michael OA 184 Stacy um five other writings 12 blanks and 11 ballots were disputed so the disputed ballots get pulled out of the count but they didn't affect the um outcome so thank you uh thank you for all that hard work I know know it was a lot of hard work for you and your staff so yeah it gets a little complicated because you balance between 21A and 30A on the recount because we don't have any policies or ordinances on recounts don't get started don't get started add it to the list where is that list right all right Sher you you have any anything to report yeah I have one thing um first of all it's I back this week after a vacation it was it was very nice good and when I got back everything in the town office ran smoothly and I think that just speaks to the staff I had no I had no issues when I came back it was awesome so just speaks to the staff that

we have and it's nice when you can step away for a few days and not have to worry my my phone didn't ring it was really really awesome great staff to work with and they did do a good job and a recount is is tough and it's a lot of high pressure so good applaud to Jessica for doing a good job we actually got an email from was it the Republican Party saying what a wonderful job she did because it's very much scrutinized I mean they're looking at it through a microscope so all went well so great she she did great um the the only other thing I have I got a letter today from uh the attorney and he is retiring and

the firm is closing up shop as of May 31st we will have no more representation so I've got an RFP ready to go I did that I worked on that today I what I basically did was I put it on the list Ser does anybody have any rfps for legal services and I got a bunch like two or three of them were the exact same so I've got it all edited it's ready to go I think you folks should probably put an eyeball on it maybe before it goes out it's up to you um a lot of the municipalities use it pretty standard one um but we should probably do that if you want to look at it and have input which I think you probably do we should probably do that at the next meeting so I can get that posted for a few weeks to get the proposals back I mean this is going to take some time and we may we may run past a little bit of the May 31st we're already under May 1st now so if we post it for a couple weeks get them back I don't know how you're going to want to

if you're going to want to have them come in to do presentations and this is something that we should definitely talk about at our next meeting where I just got the letter today um but that's we'll have to move on and we we don't want to be without representation for too long so does anybody I I have some comments but before I do um yeah was your lawyer I feel like this is your this this is your strength Josh we'll let you take the lead on this one had I known you were back this week I would have I would have given you a heads up because I just found out on Monday well yesterday yesterday was Monday right so or Friday um uh to

me I think waiting is a mistake and I think we should um I think I think we need to move forward uh is there well let me ask this first are there any pending issues where the lawyer is involved that will be affected by his retirement the transfer of the Union Church that's that's the only thing that's really pending but there are other things everything else is pretty we have nothing else other than that and that that's something that would take it would take me 15 minutes right now now cuz it's been so long since I've done one but it wouldn't take him very long so that that's something that he can get done before he leaves okay um and and I actually know I spoke with the I found out by the attorney by somebody else um and that attorney could also do it um so that doesn't concern me that's just that's just a form you can get anywhere I think the state publishes one um but there's no nothing else pending where

we're in communication with the lawyer no okay um I still think it's important for us to move forward so review the RFP um but I think I think it would be best if we um if we did sort of an email Vote or or had a quick meeting uh because to me uh ideally at the

May 28th meeting uh we would be having people come in and presenting and we would be choosing because I don't think waiting is a good idea right um I just don't because God forbid something happens and we're stuck without an attorney to me is you know as an individual that's one thing but as a town uh I think it's a terrible terrible idea right and I'm not trying to jum up business business for some attorney but um that's that's something I've seen through experience so I don't know how people feel I'm I'm comfortable with you sending it to us by email okay and then and then how does it work we respond only to you and if we have any concerns and then you share that with the rest of the board or is it because it's just administrative stuff it doesn't count as a meeting if we correspond over email yeah we got to be careful there cuz then it's like considered a meeting if you're if you're dis at least discussing over

email these things there's going to be some input from the board that needs to go into that proposal that I probably shouldn't be making well okay so let me most of and it's very little I mean but still it should be it should be information that you folks put in the RFP If he if you sent it and then when we meet on May 7th could we just quickly address that May 7th that that was going to be my next next suggestion and I think think what I would put in there is um is something about the how the board would hope to have a presentation on the services at its May 28th meeting so that that's there and known to them in the RFP and then you can put in you know if you're not available that doesn't disqualify you or whatever we can work on language like that but okay um but that's something I think if you send it to us and we have um a short business

meeting before for um the workshop on the 7th okay I think to to me uh you can do it on the 8th you can do get do two weeks and have people here on the 28th or you know we at least in the first meeting in June so we're only going a couple weeks okay let's let's just sort of map this out okay just to make sure where do we want to say like business meeting at 6 and then everybody else is coming at 6:30 on the 7th can will be here on this at 6:00 on the 7th Joe can he's too busy working I a great um I that's fine with me is I check my yes it works for me um and I know that yeah Jo I know that Joe Roy is usually here by sixish yeah so I'm assuming I'm assuming it's going to be okay with them so okay so I can get a draft of the RFP out to you tomorrow

okay and I'll try to make it as easy for you as possible or I'll highlight and yellow where I think you folks need to have input into the RFP so if you get that back to me you know say at the end of the week or Monday then I can throw it out on MMA I have a list of uh firms and attorneys from the main Municipal Association maybe we could send them the RFP directly to those folks I would you know some some of them um so we'll get it back to you on Tuesday the 7th because that's when we'll have our business meeting to talk okay Sor right so Tuesday that okay that works all right so you get it back to me so I'll post it the next day like on the 8 9th if we do it two weeks then they're going to get it back that's only going to give them three or four days to schedule to come here on the 28th so we might that might be a little tight we can I I I mean we'll work on language okay and when I see it

I I'll I'll give you some language that I would use but I think most of these firms are representing multiple municipalities so our presentation is going to be fairly simple yes it should be because it was interesting that the five or six that I got back two or three of them were the exact same RP from municipalities so it's a common so so I I don't I don't think these firms are going to have a hard time yeah coming up with something okay I haven't met a lawyer that doesn't like to pod okay that sounds good yeah so you'll expect to get that tomorrow before they close of business and then we'll go from there we may want to look at that bylaw draft because really there should be a paragraph in there about this type of thing is there email voting can you not you have to get to you know right right because when that question came up today if we had the bylaws and they were complete we would be able to

see the guidance for us on that so right yeah I know in some you know meetings of groups you can proxy vote like that I'm not sure about select boards so can you I think we've done it in the past yeah okay my understanding was that if it was related to administrative stuff yeah then it we were allowed to do that but if it was anything that was other than administrative stuff it had to happen an open public oh it's probably already written in one of the I think it's state St it's governed by that like by it I I think I think the way we're doing it should give them or instead of giving them 14 days you give them 10 days yeah um yeah we can just put be prepared to to present on the 28th s board meeting

yep all right anything else uh no that's all I got for the couple days that I've been here all right thank you are we allowed to ask Jerry a question report okay I think that's more appropriate place to do it okay it was about a report that we got so I didn't know then that yes that you can yes okay so my question was um we got our code monthly code enforcement officer report and I believe it said that there um it's not in front of me and I apologize I can't I think that it said that there were four single house um building permits issued and that the total amount for construction was5 $68,000 and so my question was four new

houses in Durham for $568,000 in terms of building costs didn't doesn't really make sense and so my question is just can we get an explanation of how you arrive at that number with that many building permits member reports I'll start over here I really feel like I have my back to you I don't like is that your report I don't I I'm going to sit over there from now so I'm good NOA

what if if I SL slid this down you're fine you're fine okay or and then maybe deie came around over here so there was two people there and two people here we'll figure it out for the next meeting um I do not have a I don't have a board member report Joe I'm good so am I uh

consent agenda is there um a motion to accept the consent agenda as presented so second second all those in favor right uh we'll sign those in a second because there's a lot um and upcoming meetings the planning board meeting tomorrow night it's a continuation of their April 10th 2024 meeting um I believe that's going to be 6:30 here uh they also have a meeting on May 1st 6:30 here sorry uh the select board is having um its business meeting at 6:00 p.m. and a workshop at 6:30 on May 7th and a reg regularly scheduled meeting on May 14th um the May 14th meeting will start at 6:30 here and then I know there's been some questions online bulky waste day May 18th at public works from 8:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. and I assume it's going to run the same as it has and yes no new announcements about that no all right is there uh a motion to adjourn motion to adjourn second uh all those in favor did we do that for the Cent agenda I can't

remember now but anyway uh we are adjourned we did a motion for the consent agenda did we vote on it yep did I just forget about it already Okay it's been that kind of a day thank you thank you you forg