Androscoggin CountyMainePopulation 4,262Sourced from U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2013-2024
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Select Board Meeting ~ May 23, 2023

2023-05-23 · Select Board · 1:44:19 · watch on YouTube →

Regular Select Board meeting of May 23, 2023, with all five members present. The board approved a Royal River Conservation Trust request to lay cedar boardwalks and remove invasive plants on town land, a catering permit application for Vessel and Vine at Replenova Farm, and a $1,000 donation to the Eureka Center from the estate of Ruth Benjamin. The largest item was the fire chief's request for direction on roughly $39,000 in uncollected ambulance bills; after a long discussion of what portion is legally collectible and whether pursuing it would deter people from calling for help, the board asked for a copy of the collection letter and its cost and agreed to take the matter up again in two weeks. The board also heard department reports, a town manager's report covering the Union Church, the new accounting firm and an Efficiency Maine lighting assessment, and went into assessors' session to accept a tree growth penalty on Map 14, Lot 6.

Who was there. The town's written minutes record these people present: Joe Tomm (Chairman), Richard George (Vice-Chair), Josh Klein-Golden, Heather Roy, Joe Roy, Jerry Douglass (Town Manager), Rob Tripp (Fire Chief), Calvin Beaumier (Road Commissioner). Names in this summary are checked against that list.

What was discussed

  1. 0:44
    Call to order

    Joe Tomm opened the meeting with a full quorum and led the Pledge of Allegiance. There were no amendments to the agenda, no public comment and no old business.

  2. 0:44
    Royal River Conservation Trust: cedar boardwalks

    Mike Friendly, trail steward for the Royal River Conservation Trust, asked permission to lay cedar boardwalks across a wet area on town property, measuring roughly 40 to 50 feet in two segments, with the trust providing the materials and the installation. He said the cedar should last about 20 years and that under a long-standing arrangement described to him by Alan Stearns (?) the trust manages the town property and comes to the board for permission before making changes.

  3. 0:44
    Whether the land use ordinance permits it

    Heather Roy asked whether the town planner or code officer had checked the request against the land use ordinance, given the area is resource protection. Mike Friendly (?) said trail use is allowed in resource protection and that nothing would be dug, the boardwalks being laid on top of the soil to protect the trail.

  4. 0:44
    Invasive plant removal

    Mike Friendly (?) asked separately for permission to remove invasive plants from the same area without pesticides, using mechanical means only, partly because the area is near water. Joe Roy (?), who said he had been a certified applicator and managed invasive species professionally, asked whether cutting alone would work; Mike Friendly (?) said repeated cutting several times a year can control most of these plants and that the trust would come back to the board if mechanical means failed. The work would be done by the trust's volunteer trail crew, which meets every Wednesday and is open to anyone.

  5. 6:30
    Catering permit for Vessel and Vine at Replenova Farm

    The board took up an application from Vessel and Vine to cater with alcohol at Replenova Farm on June 23. The town manager explained that the state will not issue the licence without the municipal officers' verification, so the town's sign-off comes first rather than last.

  6. 11:58
    What the board is actually approving

    Members questioned what the approval amounts to, noting the applicant's email said he had never had to go before a select board. It was explained that the town is confirming the local option votes for the Bureau and that the process also puts the town's department heads on notice to inspect propane, bathrooms and parking, which matters most for large private events; the board has previously delegated liquor licence sign-off to the town manager.

  7. 11:58
    Suggestion of a town permit for large events

    A member suggested that if department heads are being asked to check propane tanks and bathrooms, the town might create its own permit for events of this kind and charge for it, and proposed taking it up at a workshop as a way to capture revenue. The town manager said there is no mass gathering permit at present.

  8. 17:10
    Donation to the Eureka Center

    The board received a letter from attorneys on behalf of the estate of Ruth Benjamin donating $1,000 to the Eureka Center. Members agreed a thank you note should be sent.

  9. 17:10
    Road commissioner's report

    Calvin Beaumier reported spring cleanups of town properties and cemeteries ahead of Memorial Day with one left to do on Thursday, replacement of a bridge deck with new rough-cut hemlock which he said should last another ten years or so, and road work bringing the cross slope up to at least four percent. He said truck bids had been opened that morning and were far apart, so he was still comparing them and hoped to have a recommendation at the next meeting. He also reported mowing under way, and clearing material out of the Eureka Center for bulky waste day.

  10. 22:25
    Gravel road maintenance class

    Calvin Beaumier said he would be in Windham the following day from 7:30 to 2:00 for a gravel road maintenance class run by the DOT. Asked whether erosion control would be covered, he said he expected check dams and related material to be part of it.

  11. 22:25
    Fire department report: grants and call volume

    Rob Tripp reported a Maine Municipal Association workers compensation safety grant of $2,958 for fall protection and rescue harnesses, applied for by Captain Dimmick (?), with another grant application for gear submitted by Diana (?). He said call volume continued to rise, giving a year-to-date figure the transcript renders as 179 and a pace of well over 400, against a prior-year total the transcript renders as 512.

  12. 22:25
    Fire department equipment and facilities

    Rob Tripp said the rapid response vehicle had been purchased, outfitted and put into service, that the brush truck had blown a turbo and was going to Casco Bay Ford with the new utility taking over that role, and that the Magnagrip system was completed and running the previous Thursday with a warranty covering maintenance for up to ten years. He also reported a dozen firefighters filling a six-yard dump truck on bulky waste day and the replacement of a 23-year-old hot water heater with a slightly used one fitted by a local contractor.

  13. 27:28
    EMS Appreciation Week and the Sea Dogs game

    Rob Tripp said Girl Scout Troop 500 had made a sign for EMS Appreciation Week and that local vendors might provide lunch for the crews. He confirmed the fire department honour guard would post the colours at the Sea Dogs game, believed to be Sunday September 3, with a mailer inviting the town.

  14. 27:28
    Questions on the rise in calls

    Heather Roy asked whether the increase was proportionate between EMS and fire calls. Rob Tripp said he would have six-month figures in July, attributed the rise to population growth locally and in surrounding towns and to ageing in place, and said he was reviewing a mutual aid agreement with Lisbon EMS for the town manager. Asked whether calls could be tracked by age demographic, he said the billing company records call type and age and that this supports community risk reduction work.

  15. 32:34
    Sea Dogs fundraising and recognition for flags

    Heather Roy suggested the fire department consider selling Sea Dogs tickets as a fundraiser, noting the historic district commission is already doing so, and offered to help facilitate. She also asked that recognition be given to two residents, named in the transcript as Mr Russell and Mr Edmond, who hung the flags through town this year on their own.

  16. 32:34
    Ambulance billing reconciliation: the numbers

    Rob Tripp said the billing company had asked for direction on outstanding bills. He presented a Medicare cost report showing Medicaid, Medicare and Medicare HMO together making up 77.87 percent of the town's insurance billing, with the remainder covering private insurance, motor vehicle accidents, self-pay, veterans and workers compensation. He explained the town may bill what it likes but is paid a negotiated rate, giving a rough example of a $1,000 basic life support call reimbursed at about $300, and that the balance cannot be pursued from those patients.

  17. 38:08
    Scale of the write-off and what other towns do

    Rob Tripp said the reconciliation report, dated January 12 and covering back to January 2022, showed upwards of $39,000 in unpaid claims, which the billing company wants to write off. He said Brunswick employs a full-time collector in the town office, and that the chief in Yarmouth (?) told him that town writes off up to $200,000 a year and does not pursue patients, with a population he thought was roughly double Durham's.

  18. 43:15
    How much is actually collectible

    Members established that only about 21 percent of the balance, roughly $8,000, is legally collectible, and that veterans pay in full. Rob Tripp said contracting a collection company would be close to a wash once its up-front fee and percentage were paid, and that the town pays the billing company an up-front fee plus 3.8 percent of what it collects.

  19. 49:10
    How the rate is set and where the shortfall falls

    Rob Tripp explained that reimbursement follows the level of service provided rather than the level of staff on the ambulance, so a paramedic responding to back pain with no intervention is still billed at the basic life support rate. Asked how the unrecovered cost is made up, he said the town supplements EMS through the tax base and does not run it at a profit, and that ambulance revenue goes to the general fund rather than to his budget.

  20. 54:30
    Disagreement over pursuing payment

    Richard George argued that the town gains nothing financially, that the money would largely go to a collection agency, and that pressing for payment leads seniors and families to decide against calling an ambulance. Josh Klein-Golden said not collecting at all would set a precedent that undermines future billing, and Heather Roy said the town should at least ask those who can pay to contribute something before the whole community absorbs the cost. Rob Tripp said he did not want anyone to hesitate to call for help, and noted some departments have begun charging for lift assists, which he said he would not suggest.

  21. 59:30
    Motion to send the collection letter

    Heather Roy moved to send the letter to the people the town can collect funds from, as part of the service already contracted with Comstar, and Joe Roy seconded. Members clarified that the letter is a final notice warning of possible collections rather than a referral to collections, and that the billing company currently sends three billing attempts.

  22. 1:05:30
    Questions on cost and precedent

    Richard George asked whether the town had ever sent anyone to collections and was told no one was aware of any case, and questioned applying a new approach retroactively to past bills when no such practice had existed. Members asked whether the letter is included in the current contract at no extra cost, and Rob Tripp said he believed the billing company would send it because it gives them another chance to earn their 3.8 percent, but that he would confirm.

  23. 1:10:32
    Whether people avoid calling for help

    Rob Tripp described residents who call repeatedly knowing they will not see a bill and, on the other side, a citizen the previous day who said his back hurt but that he did not want to call because he had no insurance. Heather Roy said she knew of people who drove themselves to hospital during a heart attack to save money and did not want that, but that the town should ask those who can contribute before writing the money off.

  24. 1:15:55
    Board asks for more information

    The board asked Rob Tripp for a copy of the letter that would be sent and confirmation that it would cost the town nothing, and agreed to take the item up again in two weeks. Rob Tripp said the billing company was not waiting on an immediate answer. The transcript of the vote on the motion is garbled and does not plainly state an outcome.

  25. 1:15:55
    Town manager's report: Union Church and the long range committee

    Jerry Douglass said he had met with Lois, George and Alan about the historic district commission's role and the Union Church, with further discussion expected at the June 14 summit, and that he and Lois were seeking quotes to replace the sills. He said applications were open on the town website for a committee to work on a long range plan for the Old Town Hall and Union Church, with the closing date given inconsistently in the transcript as the third and as June 9.

  26. 1:21:21
    Defining the committee's charge

    Members said the committee's responsibilities and task should be written out before applications are collected, describing the current sequence as putting the cart before the horse. Jerry Douglass said the application asked for architectural, structural or historic property experience but nothing more detailed, and agreed to produce a short description of what the committee is tasked to do.

  27. 1:21:21
    Accounting firm transition

    Jerry Douglass said the chart of accounts was nearly finished, that the firm should be handling accounts payable by mid-June and full payroll by mid-July, and that staff were assembling the information the firm needs.

  28. 1:21:21
    Efficiency Maine lighting assessment

    An electrician from Enterprise Electric surveyed the lights at the town office, fire station, public works and the Eureka Center and its parking lot for an Efficiency Maine programme. Jerry Douglass gave as an example two outside high-pressure sodium lights costing about $1,300 a year to run against about $200 for LED, said the electrician thought the town office might qualify for full reimbursement, and that Efficiency Maine needs everything by August 31.

  29. 1:26:48
    Paying up front for the lighting work

    Heather Roy asked whether the town would have to contribute as it would have under a previous Efficiency Maine grant, and how an unbudgeted up-front cost would be handled within the current budget cycle. Members noted ARPA funds and municipal capital remain available and that a grant or contingency line could be created, and Jerry Douglass said he would report back with the figures rather than let the opportunity lapse. He also said CMP is changing the bulbs on the light poles to LED.

  30. 1:26:48
    Next meeting and GPCOG workshop

    The June 13 select board meeting will start at 5:30 pm with a short business session to sign anything urgent, then close and go into a workshop of two to two and a half hours run by GPCOG on the hierarchy of town government, with a second part on items currently in process. The public is invited to attend but there will be no public input.

  31. 1:32:14
    Casella and the tax commitment

    Jerry Douglass said he had scheduled Chris Hale from Casella to come before the board about trash and recycling, moved from June 20 to June 27. Members noted the contract runs out June 30 but a one-year extension has been signed, so there is a year to decide where to go. The tax commitment with Donna is expected at the following meeting.

  32. 1:32:14
    Tree growth penalty, Map 14 Lot 6

    The board entered assessors' session to act on a change of land use penalty where about 3,000 square feet was gifted to a family member and taken out of tree growth. The penalty is small: the transcript gives it as 7.32 once and 7.33 twice, and the minutes record $7.33.

  33. 1:37:30
    Upcoming meetings and adjournment

    Select board meetings on June 13 at 5:30 pm and June 27 at 6:30 pm at the town office; planning board on June 7; and a planning summit on June 14 at which George, the planning board and other committees will go through ordinance items for the next town meeting. There was no executive session and the board adjourned after signing documents.

What was decided

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.

Motions the minutes record

The town's own written account of what was decided, taken from approved_sb_meeting_minutes_05_23_23.txt. It owes nothing to the recording or to a model: the clerk typed it, with the vote. Where the summary above claims a decision this list does not carry, the summary is the part to doubt.

Worth knowing

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: 3 passages of motion language, against 10 decisions summarised.

Show the 3 passages

Elsewhere

← 2023-05-09 Select Board2023-06-13 Select Board →All meetings

Source & method

Town of Durham meeting recordings, YouTube auto-captions, and the town's written minutes
Captions cleaned into timestamped transcripts; topics and motions found by pattern matching; summaries written by a language model and required to cite the second each item begins. Every name attached to speech is checked against the attendance list in the minutes, and marked (?) where no record confirms it
https://www.youtube.com/@durhammaine/videos
Summary written by claude-opus-5. Attendance from approved_sb_meeting_minutes_05_23_23.txt.
Data as of 25 August 2026 (the date of the newest recorded meeting in the index); retrieved 2 September 2026.