Durham Town Meeting 2024

2024-04-06 · Town Meeting · 3:25:35 · watch on YouTube →

The annual Durham town meeting of April 6, 2024, held during a storm that had left much of the town without power, opened with the posting of the colors, an invocation, the town scholarship award and the results of the previous day's town election, then worked through warrant articles 4 through 39 under moderator Bill Schneider. Select board chair Joe Tom (?) presented the 2024 budget, including a proposal to use $668,000 of the general fund balance to hold the tax increase to about 1.8 percent, against the budget committee's recommendation of a smaller draw and a 2.3 percent increase. Every money article was approved; two amendments to cut spending, one to general government and one to community services, were defeated. The meeting also enacted land use ordinance amendments on housing density, solar energy standards and permit fees, and voted to transfer the Union Church at 744 Royalsborough Road to the Durham Historical Society together with access to its restoration fund. The longest discussions were on the fire department's 15 percent increase to pay for overnight EMS coverage and on the five-year solid waste contract with Casella, for which the town received only one bid. Articles 29 through 39 were taken together and approved, and the meeting adjourned.

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. 20:56
   Opening ceremonies

   An honor guard posted the colors and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Stan Allen, pastor of Shiloh Chapel, read from Matthew chapter 6 and gave an invocation.

2. 26:00
   Town scholarship award and recognition of a departing select board member

   The select board chair presented the town of Durham scholarship award to John Quinn, citing 30 high school credits and 37 college credits earned at three colleges and acceptance into physics programs at four schools. He then recognized select board member Rich George, whose term was ending after seven years on the board.

3. 31:33
   Thanks to staff and volunteers, board introductions and election results

   The chair thanked town employees, the fire department and public works for storm response and noted the town has over 60 volunteers on its boards and committees. The select board and budget committee introduced themselves. The moderator reported that 391 people voted in the previous day's election: Neil Barry (?) with 227 votes, Phyllis Brandon with 278 and a third candidate given as Mark (surname not clear in the recording) with 249 were elected to the budget committee; Stacy Howarth (?) with 189 votes to the RSU 5 board of directors; and Deborah Oliver (?) with 320 votes to the select board.

4. 36:39
   Permission for non-voters to speak

   The moderator read a list of non-residents and non-voters who might wish to speak, including Jerry Douglas, George Thebarge, Mark Roy, Tia Wilson, Robert Trip, Calvin Bomier (?) and Stephanie Payne, and the meeting agreed without objection.

5. 36:39
   Select board chair's budget presentation

   Joe Tom (?) said the municipal share of the tax bill was about 19.6 percent in 2023 and is projected at about 16.4 percent for 2024, and that the 2023 fund balance of $3.7 million is roughly 33 percent of 2024 appropriations against a recommended range of 16 to 20 percent. The select board proposed using $668,000 of that balance, producing about a 1.8 percent tax increase, while the budget committee recommended about $39,000 less and a 2.3 percent increase, the difference being a late county tax figure the select board chose to absorb. He also said the remaining ARPA funds would be spent through articles 20, 21 and 22, and gave a municipal assessment of $1,339,485.

6. 42:00
   Mill rate, debt and the case for capital reserves

   The chair walked through the components of the mill rate, including education and county taxes and a zero overlay, and gave outstanding bond debt for the year as $888,888 (the figure as transcribed). He argued that funding fire, public works and municipal building reserves at a steady rate each year would avoid borrowing, interest costs and year-to-year spikes when vehicles or major repairs are needed.

7. 48:02
   Capital reserve amounts and preview of the ordinance articles

   The reserve articles were listed as $180,000 for the fire department (article 11), $25,000 for public works (article 12) and $10,000 for municipal buildings (article 13). The chair previewed article 24 on housing density, noting a less restrictive state law takes effect July 1 regardless of the vote; article 25 setting the town's first standards for solar energy systems; article 26 codifying fees; and the Union Church articles.

8. 53:55
   Revaluation, fiscal year change, solid waste and a building study

   The chair said the revaluation has an expected completion date of 2027 but the town is trying to pull that forward, that the select board will look seriously at moving from a calendar to a fiscal year budget and expects to bring something to the town next year, and that a solid waste committee has been formed to reduce tonnage under what he confirmed is a five-year contract. He also said GPCOG is coming in under a grant to assess all town-owned buildings, including office space.

9. 53:55
   Durham Historical Society presentation on the Union Church

   The chair of the Durham Historical Society, who said she has held that role since 2008, explained articles 17, 27 and 28. The church was built in 1835 and has housed the historical museum since 1988; the restoration fund was created on March 3, 1979 with $2,000 and has received nearly $70,000 since, but the account holds about $21,000 today while repairs to a rotted back corner have been deferred for roughly 25 years.

10. 59:12
    Freeport High School Scholarship Foundation presentation

    Stephanie Payne, president of the foundation, said the 501(c)(3) was organized in 2021 and currently supports seven scholars, three of whom live in Durham, at $5,000 a year for up to four years, each paired with a mentor. She said the foundation received 32 applications last year and could fund three scholarships, and asked for support and for volunteers to serve as mentors and board members.

11. 1:04:42
    Rules for debate, and articles 4 and 5

    The moderator asked speakers to come to the microphone, identify themselves and address remarks to the chair. Article 4, funding at 2023 levels any budget article not approved, and article 5, transferring $3,235 from undesignated fund balance to cover fire department spending above the approved 2022 fire department budget, were both taken up and voted.

12. 1:09:56
    Article 6, general government, and an amendment to cut it

    Jill Gastonguay (?) of Stackpole Road (?) told the meeting the budget was presented differently this year because an outside accountant realigned expense lines, and that setting aside capital reserve transfers the spending budget is up roughly 10 percent, which becomes the base for future years. Neil Barry (?) moved to amend the article to $684,991, a reduction of $5,000, saying the town manager received a 10 percent raise and that comparisons to last year were difficult; he noted the same motion had tied and failed at the budget committee. Deborah Purington (?) of Day Road (?) asked that select board and budget committee members come to the microphone when departing from their group's recommendation.

13. 1:20:21
    Article 7, fire department budget and night EMS coverage

    The fire chief, Robert Trip (?), first gave a storm update, saying there were no updates from CMP, that potable water was available at the station and that the station is staffed 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. He then explained the 15 percent increase as overnight EMT coverage: 35 percent of calls now fall between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., all the department's EMTs have moved out of town, and Auburn's request for the town's ambulance the previous midnight could not be staffed. Tyler Hutcherson (?) of Hallowell Road had asked why the increase was above the historical norm; the town manager and several residents spoke in support.

14. 1:31:30
    Article 8, solid waste contract with Casella

    Residents asked about a rumored move to wheeled 64-gallon automated containers, how tonnage would be affected, and whether the town could shop around. Board members said the contract went out to bid and Casella was the only bidder, the current contract expires June 30, and a no vote would mean no curbside pickup from July 1. Alan Purington (?) of Day Road (?) raised safety concerns about containers spaced three feet apart on private subdivision roads; Kevin Netto (?) asked for an opt-out clause; Emily Samson (?) of Orchard Lane and others urged composting to cut tonnage.

15. 1:41:53
    Paving, within article 8

    A resident asked why $375,000 was approved for paving last year but only about $285,000 spent, with $400,000 requested this year. Road commissioner Calvin Bomier (?) said sections of road were too deteriorated to pave over and had to be torn up and repaired, and that pavement rose from $70 a ton under the previous three-year contract to over $100 a ton. He said the town paves about two and a half miles a year out of 42 miles of road, a 20-year cycle, and that a 10-year cycle is not affordable at current prices.

16. 1:58:50
    Article 9, community services, and an amendment to cut it

    A resident moved to reduce the article from $16,700 to $6,700, saying he did not want to be required to support scholarship funds. Ruth Dodge of Quaker Meeting House Road (?) spoke in support of the scholarship funding.

17. 2:03:50
    Articles 10 to 13, debt service and capital reserves, and what 'raise and appropriate' means

    A budget committee member questioned whether reserve money is being raised in taxes or transferred between accounts. Town accountant Mark Roy (?) explained that the appropriation articles authorize raising the amounts in taxes, and that articles 18 and 19 then reduce the amounts to be raised by applying revenues and fund balance. Michelle Richardson of Patriot Way commended the board and committee for setting up consistent reserve funding instead of bonding.

18. 2:14:02
    Articles 14 to 16, Eureka Center, revaluation reserve and grants match

    A select board member explained that the town had been setting aside money toward a partial market update, but that the homestead exemption has dropped below the level allowing that, so a full revaluation is needed; the request for proposal came back with companies unable to start before 2027. She said the budget committee raised the point that having the money in hand would let the town move sooner if another town ahead of it dropped out. Members also confirmed none of the reserve accounts are new.

19. 2:19:47
    Article 17, Union Church restoration funds, and the limits of a closed warrant

    A resident asked whether an extra $10,000 could be added for the church as was done last year. The moderator explained articles can be amended down but not up because the warrant serves as notice to taxpayers, and Mark Roy (?) explained that last year's article was worded as an operational article so the money lapsed at year end, while this year's articles are closed. The chair of the historic district commission said the commission voted to recommend both the appropriation and the transfer of the building.

20. 2:24:48
    Articles 18 and 19, applying revenues and fund balance to reduce taxes

    After a procedural dispute over whether the budget committee's figure could be moved first, Mr Simon withdrew his motion and article 19 was moved as written at $668,000, then amended by Alan Purington (?) to the budget committee's $628,475. The budget committee's position was that a county tax increase is inevitable and should be raised in taxes rather than paid from savings; select board members argued the money has already been collected from taxpayers and that a $668,000 draw still leaves about $3.2 million against a recommended floor of $2 million.

21. 2:41:21
    Articles 20 to 22, remaining ARPA funds

    The three articles spent the town's remaining federal Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery funds on upgrades to the Eureka Community Center, computer aided dispatch for emergency vehicles, and codification of the land use ordinance. George Thebarge (?) explained that codification would move the ordinance text into a maintained digital format, following last year's digitizing of the tax maps, and that a team of lawyers would review the ordinance for inconsistencies with state law.

22. 2:46:33
    Article 23, authority to spend from town reserves

    Neil Barry (?) questioned whether the town's various accounts meet the state's definition of a reserve fund and noted the select board are trustees of capital equipment and capital improvement funds. Mark Roy (?) said towns may create reserves outside the statute but need town approval to appropriate from them, and that the article is written to cover all situations. Barry also said the emergency reserve fund has never been defined; Kevin Netto (?) replied that spending from it requires a vote of both the select board and the budget committee, so the definition is deliberately left open.

23. 2:51:44
    Article 24, housing density and accessory apartments

    The article enacts land use ordinance amendments allowing a second smaller accessory apartment with any single family home and increasing lot sizes where state law requires multiple full-size units on one lot. A planning board member described it as the result of about two years of work responding to the state law passed in 2022, and credited the town planner.

24. 2:57:30
    Article 25, standards for solar energy systems

    Neil Barry (?) urged a no vote, citing the CO2 Coalition, the cost of subsidised power, and Chinese-made panels. Joe Roy, Jess Costa (?), chair of the Conservation Commission, Kevin Netto (?) and a planning board member all argued the opposite, saying the town currently has no standards, that a proposal meeting submission requirements would have to be approved, and that a no vote would leave commercial solar effectively unregulated. Another resident said she wanted no commercial solar farming in Durham at all and urged voting the ordinance down so a stricter version could return; a select board member said the buffering provisions were the part she watched most closely.

25. 3:08:07
    Article 26, codification of certain fees

    The article adds a definitive fee list to the land use ordinance for certain permitting services and allows the select board to review fees periodically rather than annually. There was no substantive discussion.

26. 3:13:32
    Articles 27 and 28, transfer of the Union Church

    The articles authorize transferring 744 Royalsborough Road, the Union Church, to the Durham Historical Society by quitclaim deed with the stipulation it continue to be used as a museum, and authorize spending the restoration reserve in conjunction with the society. A resident asked what the town gains by deeding the property; a select board member said the society can access grants the town cannot, that spending will still require the town manager's approval because it is town money, and that the repairs needed far exceed the roughly $31,000 in the account.

27. 3:19:20
    Articles 29 through 39 taken together, and adjournment

    On a motion from the floor the meeting agreed to consider the remaining routine articles as a block: grant authority, interest on delinquent taxes, appointment of standing committee members, disposal of town property and tax-acquired property, interest rates on abatements and prepayments, settlement of disputes, interim spending authority, borrowing on notes, and moving up to 5 percent between budget lines. A motion to adjourn followed.

What was decided

• 1:04:42
  Article 4, to raise and appropriate an amount not to exceed the 2023 municipal budget for any budget article not approved in this warrantpassed
• 1:04:42
  Article 5, to appropriate and transfer $3,235 from undesignated fund balance to cover fire department expenditures above the approved 2022 fire department budgetpassed
• 1:15:00
  Amendment by Neil Barry (?) to reduce article 6, general government, to $684,991, a cut of $5,000failed
• 1:15:00
  Article 6, general government, as writtenpassed
• 1:26:16
  Article 7, the fire department budget, including a 15 percent increase for overnight EMS coveragepassed
• 1:58:50
  Article 8, public works, covering solid waste collection and paving (the dollar figure is cut off in the transcript)passed
• 1:58:50
  Amendment to reduce article 9, community services, from $16,700 to $6,700failed
• 1:58:50
  Article 9, to raise and appropriate $16,700 for community services, as writtenpassed
• 2:03:50
  Article 10, to raise and appropriate $78,349 for debt servicepassed
• 2:08:51
  Article 11, to raise and appropriate $180,000 for the fire department capital reservepassed
• 2:08:51
  Article 12, to raise and appropriate $25,000 for the public works department capital reservepassed
• 2:08:51
  Article 13, to raise and appropriate $10,000 for the municipal buildings capital reservepassed
• 2:14:02
  Article 14, to raise and appropriate $50,000 for the Eureka Community Center reservepassed
• 2:19:47
  Article 15, to raise and appropriate $160,000 for the assessing and revaluation reservepassed
• 2:19:47
  Article 16, to raise and appropriate $2,293 for the grants match reservepassed
• 2:24:48
  Article 17, the Union Church restoration appropriation, described in the presentation as transferring the $9,543 voted at last year's town meetingpassed
• 2:24:48
  Article 18, to reduce the amounts authorized to be raised in taxes in articles 6 through 17 using municipal revenues (the amount is cut off in the transcript)passed
• 2:41:21
  Amendment by Alan Purington (?) to article 19, substituting the budget committee's figure of $628,475 for the select board's $668,000. The moderator's reading of the amendment as transcribed states $668,000, so which figure was put to the vote is not clearoutcome unclear
• 2:41:21
  Article 19, authorizing the select board to appropriate from the general fund's existing fund balance to reduce the amounts authorized to be raised in taxes in articles 6 through 17. The moderator announced a clear majority approving article 19, but the transcript does not make clear whether the approved amount is $668,000 or $628,475passed
• 2:41:21
  Article 20, to appropriate ARPA funds for upgrades to the Eureka Community Center (read as $99,100)passed
• 2:41:21
  Article 21, to appropriate $25,000 of ARPA funds for computer aided dispatch for emergency vehiclespassed
• 2:46:33
  Article 22, to appropriate $10,500 of ARPA funds for codification of the town's land use ordinancepassed
• 2:51:44
  Article 23, authorizing the select board to appropriate funds from the town's reserves on the town manager's request for expenditures in accordance with the purpose of the reservespassed
• 2:51:44
  Article 24, enacting land use ordinance amendments on accessory apartments and lot sizes for multiple dwelling unitspassed
• 3:08:07
  Article 25, enacting submission requirements, review procedures and performance standards for solar energy systemspassed
• 3:08:07
  Article 26, enacting amendments to codify certain permitting fees in the fee schedulepassed
• 3:19:20
  Article 27, authorizing transfer of 744 Royalsborough Road, the Union Church, to the Durham Historical Society by quitclaim deedpassed
• 3:19:20
  Article 28, authorizing the select board to spend the Union Church restoration reserve in conjunction with the Durham Historical Society for repairs and maintenancepassed
• 3:19:20
  Articles 29 through 39, the routine administrative articles, voted together as writtenpassed

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

• 1:20:21
  The fire chief said 35 percent of calls now come between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., about 100 medical calls last year, and that with the station staffed the ambulance is out the door in about 4 minutes against about 14 minutes when it is not, plus travel time. The 15 percent increase funds one per diem EMT overnight for nine months; he said EMTs average about $17 an hour and that the town's ambulance could not be staffed when Auburn (?) requested it the previous midnight.
• 1:31:30
  Casella was the only bidder on the solid waste contract. The current contract expires June 30, and board members said a no vote would mean no curbside pickup from July 1. The new contract runs five years with at least a 5 percent annual increase for service plus tonnage costs, and Casella has said it will move to automated 64-gallon containers in about 18 months to two years.
• 1:41:53
  The town approved $375,000 for paving last year and spent about $285,000, and asked for $400,000 this year. The road commissioner said pavement went from $70 a ton under the earlier contract to over $100 a ton, and that the town paves about two and a half miles of its 42 miles of road each year, a 20-year cycle rather than the 10-year cycle he would prefer.
• 59:12
  Two figures for the Union Church restoration account conflict. The chair of the Historical Society said nearly $70,000 has been appropriated to the fund since 1979 and that it holds approximately $21,000 today; later, at t=11612, a select board member gave the total in the account as about $31,175.

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 29 decisions summarised.

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