DURHAM – Following the defeat of two funding requests at the recent special town meeting, Chairman Wesley Bennett said he expects selectmen will be reviewing options at their next meeting.
Voters rejected requests to transfer $8,500 from the bridge reserve account to pay for emergency repairs to the Shiloh Road Bridge that have been done. Also rejected was a request for $4,437 from the capital reserve account and fund balance to pay for unanticipated town office expenses including insurance, workers compensation and a failing office computer.
Bennett said when selectmen approved using $8,500 from the tar road account to make the emergency repairs to the bridge, it was with the expectation that voters would be willing to authorize transferring that amount from the bridge account so the money could be returned to the tar road account.
Selectman Terry Kirk said the voters have spoken, and “we’ll have to live with it.”
Referring to the defeat of amendments to the Comprehensive Plan, Kirk, who is also vice chairman of that panel, said there are no plans to bring anything back until the March annual town meeting next year.
Most of the proposed changes would have included updated data required by the state, with the exception of a proposal to insert a new section to include a formula for issuing building permits.
If approved, it would have resulted in issuing building permits in a more timely manner for subdivisions that were approved prior to a change that limited building permits to 45 per year.
The way it stands now, only 15 of those permits are available outside the growth district. Most subdivisions are located outside the growth areas.
Gordon Grimes, a local attorney, reminded voters that the town has until 2004 to make changes in the ordinances that are compatible with the 2002 Comprehensive Plan or the state will step in. However, he said he didn’t know what action the state might take, adding that it could be similar to when the town failed to enact a shoreland zoning ordinance and that state went ahead and imposed one on the town.
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