DURHAM – Following a trend set during Friday’s municipal election, when only 228 voted, just 145 of the town’s 3,400 registered voters attended Saturday’s town meeting, rejecting $613,000 for renovations and additions to the town office, but agreed with little debate to purchase a new $135,000 ambulance.

Quickly approved was a $4,800,500 school budget, of which the town will raise $2,138,600 in tax dollars. It was agreed to spend $223,272 in additional local funds, which exceeded the amount allowed under LD1 by $23,536.

On the town side, residents approved a $1,856,000 budget, of which 915,960 will be raised in tax dollars. It was voted to increase the property tax levy limit of $419,502, set by state law, by about $150,000. In all, voters approved raising a net amount, after revenues, of $3,388,127 in local tax dollars for combined municipal and school budgets, which will result in a 2.07 percent tax rate increase, bringing it up from $17.80 last year to $18.17 this year, according to Budget Committee Chairman Allan Purinton.

For the most part, Budget Committee recommendations were followed, with one of the exceptions being $15,000 appropriated for the Eureka Community Center.

Drawing the most debate, all negative, was a proposed sex offender ordinance that would have prevented sex offenders from living within 8,800 yards of schools or day cares, which was overwhelmingly defeated by a hand vote.

Former Selectman Alex Delicata was the first to voice opposition: “I can see land mines in this thing as big as this building. Who brought this up?” he asked. “This is arbitrary and prejudicial, not that I don’t want to protect our children. They should be.”

Reasons cited by the opposition included a lack of public hearings, concerns about the 8,800-yard distance, expensive legal challenges, a lack of review by the Maine Civil Liberties Union, and who would enforce it, among other things. After hearing the Legislature had been unable to agree on what kind of law to pass regarding sex offenders, Alice McPeake told the meeting, “If the Legislature can’t pass this, why should the town go out on a limb and leave ourselves wide open” to lawsuits.

No one spoke in favor of the ordinance, brought to selectmen by a group of residents. It was reportedly modeled on similar laws enacted in several other Maine towns.