DURHAM — Voters passed all 43 warrant articles at the annual Town Meeting on Saturday for a budget of $4.43 million, and approved two amendments to the local Land Use Ordinance.
The first ordinance change revises the resource protection district criteria and boundary to align with the 2018 comprehensive plan and corrects mapping based on inaccurate floodplain data. The second change requires voter approval to accept any road for public maintenance.
Voters opted for the budget committee’s recommendation of $50,000 — a $1,000 increase over last year — instead of the Board of Selectmen’s recommendation of $100,000 for the Public Works capital reserve account.
Also approved were $50,000 in public works capital reserve funds for replacing culverts, $105,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds for a new plow truck and $50,000 for exhaust removal equipment at the Fire Station, $60,000 for revaluation reserves, $60,000 in Fire Department capital reserves for a rapid response vehicle, $32,800 for a generator, and $125,000 in federal funds for the Quint fire truck refurbishing project.
Friday’s municipal elections drew over 450 voters to decide on seven new officers. In Durham’s only contested race, Danielle George beat out Carrisa Stone by a vote of 296-118 for a three-year term on the Regional School Unit 5 board of directors.
Select board candidates Joseph Roy and Heather Roy both ran unopposed for two three-year terms. They won with 295 and 288 votes, respectively, with write-in candidate Adam Daly receiving 176 votes.
Budget committee candidates Allan Purinton and Milton Simon ran unopposed for three vacant three-year terms, winning with 357 and 318 votes, respectively. Donna Church received 17 write-in votes toward the third seat. Phyllis Brannon, the lone candidate for a one-year term on the Budget Committee, was elected with 367 votes.
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