Select Board Meeting ~ March 25, 2025

2025-03-25 · Select Board · 55:25 · watch on YouTube →

The Select Board met on March 25, 2025, its last meeting before the annual town meeting, and worked through the remaining preparations. Sitting as the board of assessors it granted a $158 abatement for a barn that had been removed before a 2019 subdivision but left on the tax record, then adopted the general assistance ordinance and approved and signed the 2025 annual town meeting warrant. Most of the meeting was spent reviewing the town meeting PowerPoint prepared by Jerry and Mark, with changes agreed to the capital planning slide, the duplicated property tax pages, the county tax line and the wording of TIF. The board decided the town planner should present each of the three land use ordinance articles separately, immediately before its vote, and that the town attorney need not attend. The meeting also covered the manager's report on bids, the annual report and the ordinance codification timetable, and thanks to Joe, who was attending his last meeting.

No written minutes could be matched to this meeting. The transcript records that the speaker changed but never who was speaking, so any name attached to a statement below is inferred from context and is marked (?).

What was discussed

1. 0:25
   Call to order

   The chair called the March 25 meeting to order at 6:30 with a quorum present.

2. 6:44
   Agenda, public comment and minutes

   There were no amendments to the agenda and no public comment. The minutes of March 4, 2025 were approved on a motion by Josh, seconded by Joe. A member asked why minutes are taken separately rather than as part of the consent agenda.

3. 6:44
   Board of assessors: property abatement

   The board moved into the board of assessors to consider an abatement written up by Donna. Lot 78B had been assessed as a 48.92 acre parcel with an old barn before the 2019 subdivision split it into individual lots; the owner had removed the barn before construction but it was never taken off the record. The abatement is $158 for tax paid on a barn that does not exist.

4. 6:44
   General assistance ordinance

   The board adopted the general assistance ordinance as presented, following the increase voted after the earlier public hearing.

5. 6:44
   2025 annual town meeting warrant

   The chair thanked the boards and committees for the work behind this year's warrant language, noting the amount of written and in-person public feedback that had been taken up. A member asked whether moving town meeting to the second Saturday in June allows the town election to be held with the school budget vote, and was told it does.

6. 12:40
   Town meeting PowerPoint: overall review

   Jerry and Mark prepared the presentation. The chair noted the colour scheme avoids red and green, which about one in six people cannot easily tell apart, and asked to add whether any purchases were made from capital reserves this year, since nothing was bought and that shows the schedule working. Heather (?) asked that the one-page ten-year capital plan, which runs to three pages covering fire, public works and buildings, be printed with the town report so residents can find it in the same document later.

7. 18:30
   Annualized figures against the warrant figures

   Heather pointed out that the capital planning slide lists the annual amount raised while the warrant articles carry the 18-month figures, giving fire capital as $270,000 against a different number on the slide, with $305,000 mentioned for another reserve. After discussion the board kept the annualized figures, on the ground that they show the town is holding to the schedule agreed last year, and asked the presenter to explain the difference and point to the relevant article.

8. 23:54
   Duplicated property tax slides

   A member noted pages seven and eight carry the same picture with the same message, one showing fiscal year 2024 and the other fiscal year 2026, and that readers assume it is a duplicate. The board agreed to move the text from the second page onto the first and drop the second page, or otherwise distinguish them, and to add slide numbers so people following on their phones can keep place.

9. 23:54
   County tax line

   The presentation shows county tax down 26.7 percent, which reflects the bill falling only once in the 18-month period; the county's own budget is up 9 percent. The board asked that the 9 percent be shown or explained so the figure is not misread.

10. 29:15
    Wording and explanation points

    The board asked that TIF be spelled out as tax increment financing on the municipal budget slide. Members agreed the point that some bills are paid once, some twice and some monthly in this budget period will need saying repeatedly at town meeting.

11. 29:15
    How the ordinance articles will be presented

    The chair proposed that George give a short factual presentation on the three land use ordinance amendments, articles 19, 20 and 21, without advocating a position, with policy questions answered by the board. After discussion the board agreed he should present each article separately, immediately before its vote, rather than all three at once, because they are different subjects with different audiences.

12. 34:34
    Whether the town attorney attends town meeting

    Members agreed there was no need for the town attorney, who is paid hourly, to attend, since the remaining objections are disagreements with her interpretation rather than open legal questions. Mark's attendance for the budget was considered more useful, and legal questions from the floor will be referred to Josh.

13. 39:41
    Town manager report: mailing and bids

    Jerry (?) said the trifold mailed to residents has produced no calls or questions. Fuel bids came back with propane up 10 cents and other fuels down slightly, locked in for 12 months. Paving bids opened that day drew five bidders, with the lowest at $84 per ton and the next lowest at $102.

14. 39:41
    Annual report and board of appeals vacancy

    The annual report has arrived and residents can pick it up. Paul (?) has told Jerry he no longer wants to sit on the board of appeals, with his term ending in April, so the seat will be advertised. Board members thanked him for how he ran meetings.

15. 39:41
    Facility study and tax policy conference

    GPCOG will give an update on the facility study at the May 13 meeting. Jerry (?) reported from the Maine Town and City Managers Association conference in Bangor that there is a good deal of legislative discussion about property tax relief, including through sales tax.

16. 39:41
    Ordinance codification timetable

    The legal and editorial reviews are complete, leaving about 139 discrepancies ranging from typos, such as references to selectmen rather than select board, to actual policy questions. The town planner will correct the simple errors and package the policy and administrative questions for a presentation at the May 27 meeting, with workshops expected in June. All edits must go back to the code consultant by July 25.

17. 39:41
    Manager's leave

    Jerry (?) said he will be on vacation on April 20 and will miss the second April meeting.

18. 45:30
    Board member reports: tax policy task force

    The chair reported that budget and taxes dominated a GPCOG event attended with Deb, and that some surrounding communities are facing three straight years of around 9 percent municipal budget increases. He and Jerry have been invited onto a GPCOG and Maine Municipal Association task force on municipal tax policy, as representatives of a rural town, because solutions proposed by larger municipalities would not work in Durham. Nothing has been scheduled yet.

19. 45:30
    Thanks to Joe

    Members thanked Joe, who is not standing for re-election, at his last meeting after three years, noting his background on the planning board and encouraging him to consider the board of appeals vacancy or the budget committee. Joe (?) thanked the board, public works, the fire department and town staff.

20. 45:30
    Recognition of election workers

    Heather (?) said she felt strongly that election and poll volunteers be recognised, and had intended to ask that they be named and stand at town meeting if it had not been done. She confirmed the recognition appears on page 11 of the town report and thanked Jessica for including it.

21. 50:33
    Committee vacancies

    Deb (?) reported that Juliet was voted chair of the solid waste committee at its last meeting and that the committee needs one working member and two alternates, with Todd possibly moving up from alternate. The board agreed to audit vacancies across all committees, announce them at town meeting and have application forms available in the room.

22. 50:33
    Consent agenda and announcements

    The consent agenda was approved. Upcoming dates given were the planning board on April 2 at the fire station, a committee meeting April 2 at the Eureka Center, municipal elections April 4 at the Eureka Center from 8 to 8, the annual town meeting April 5 at the Durham Community School starting at 9:00 am, the select board on April 8 at the fire station, and the solid waste committee on April 14. No executive session was needed.

What was decided

• 6:44
  Approve the minutes of the March 4, 2025 meeting, moved by Josh and seconded by Joepassed
• 6:44
  Move into the board of assessors, moved by Joshpassed
• 6:44
  Grant the $158 abatement on lot 78B for a barn removed before the 2019 subdivision but never taken off the record, moved by Josh and seconded by Joepassed
• 6:44
  Exit the board of assessors, moved by Josh and seconded by Joepassed
• 6:44
  Adopt the general assistance ordinance as presentedpassed
• 6:44
  Accept the 2025 annual town meeting warrantpassed
• 18:30
  Keep the annualized figures on the capital planning slide rather than the 18-month warrant figures, and explain the difference in the presentationpassed
• 29:15
  Have George present each of the three land use ordinance articles separately, immediately before the vote on each, rather than all three togetherpassed
• 34:34
  Do not ask the town attorney to attend the annual town meetingpassed
• 50:33
  Approve the consent agendapassed
• 50:33
  Adjourn, moved by Joe at his last meetingpassed

An outcome reads "unclear" where the recording does not state it plainly. The recogniser drops short words, and "the motion does not carry" is one missing word from its opposite.

Worth knowing

• 18:30
  The town meeting presentation and the warrant carry different numbers for the same items because this budget covers 18 months: the slides show the annual amount raised while the warrant shows the 18-month figure, such as $270,000 for fire capital. The county tax line likewise shows down 26.7 percent only because the bill falls once in the period, while the county budget is up 9 percent. The board decided to explain this from the floor rather than change the slides.
• 39:41
  Paving bids opened the day of the meeting drew five bidders, with the lowest at $84 per ton and the next lowest at $102. Fuel bids came in with propane up 10 cents and other fuels down slightly, locked in for 12 months.
• 39:41
  The ordinance codification review has produced about 139 discrepancies, from typographical errors to policy questions. The town planner will present them at the May 27 meeting, workshops are expected in June, and all edits must go back to the code consultant by July 25.
• 45:30
  Several volunteer seats are opening at once: Paul (?) is leaving the board of appeals when his term ends in April, Joe is not standing for re-election to the select board, and the solid waste committee needs one member and two alternates. The board agreed to audit all committee vacancies, announce them at town meeting and have application forms on hand.

Motion language found in the transcript

Located by pattern matching, with no model involved: "I move that", "I'll second", "all those in favour". This is an independent check on the summary above: 5 passages of motion language, against 11 decisions summarised.

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