DURHAM — Only 108 residents, including town officials, turned out for a five-hour town meeting Saturday morning.

Within minutes, the meeting slowed to a crawl when voters balked at a $40,000 salary for the appointed, full-time road commissioner, Jason Turcotte, up $10,000 from last year.

Following an extended debate and after a show of hands that was too close to call, moderator Gary Wood called for a secret ballot. By a vote of 56-41, townspeople decided not to raise Turcotte’s salary. A new motion on the office’s salary account to approve all as recommended, but keeping Turcotte’s salary at $30,000, was approved by an 18-vote margin.

Voters also refused to hire a full-time road department employee at a salary of $51,000, including benefits, which would have been in addition to the current two part-time positions.

A request for $3,000 to pay for online tax assessing was overwhelmingly defeated. It would have put property valuations and pictures online for easy access. Opponents said it would benefit only bankers and real estate agents and that they could come to the Town Office for that information.

Quickly approved without debate was a Recall of Elected Town Officials ordinance. Selectman said it was a part of a personnel policy update.

Among the larger appropriations were county tax, $338,999; winter roads, $610,150; salaries, stipends and pay, $192,686; common roads, $75,476; tar roads, $481,301; fire and rescue operating budget, $236,823; and solid waste, $195,246. The interest rate on delinquent taxes was set at 7 percent per annum.

If there are no changes in the proposed Regional School Unit 5 budget, which will be voted on by secret ballot on June 14, Budget Committee Chairman Allan Purinton estimated that the current mill rate of $13.05 per $1,000 of property value could increase by a little more than 1 percent.

Administrative Assistant Janet Smith said after the meeting that she would recommend a “no increase” tax rate to selectmen at their next meeting.