Select Board members and residents discussed whether warrant articles tied to the late Jim Jordan’s estate match the legal terms of his will and how the town would be bound if it accepts the gifts.

Resident Judy raised concerns that the warrant language does not track the will’s wording, particularly scholarships. “There are some things that have to be corrected because they don't match up with his will,” Judy said, pointing to scholarship articles that reference “residents of Buckfield” rather than beneficiaries limited to the Buckfield Village Corporation as written in Jordan’s will.

The board and other participants said the town and the estate’s attorneys drafted the warrant language together. One Select Board member noted the attorneys signed off on the articles, but Judy and others urged the board to double-check with counsel before town voters act. A town official said that if the town accepts the gifts it will be legally bound by the will’s terms.

The discussion clarified a few specific points from the transcript: the will names the Buckfield Village Corporation as the population eligible for certain scholarships; the residuary estate figure discussed by the estate's attorney was $850,000 and that principal is to be preserved, producing annual interest for property maintenance; and Article 30 on the warrant asks voters whether the town will accept two properties plus the residuary estate, while Articles 32–34 address scholarships. Select Board discussion included a warning that accepting the real estate without the residuary would leave the properties without funding and that, per the will, the residuary and real estate are linked.

Leah Frechette, identified as someone who assisted Jim Jordan in drafting his will, joined the hearing; board members encouraged follow-up between town counsel and the estate attorney to confirm that the warrant language reflects the will. The board also reminded listeners that town voting on the warrant items will occur June 10 and that absentee ballot requests must be submitted by Thursday, June 5, and absentee ballots must be received at the town office by 8 p.m. on June 10 in order to be counted.

Board members discussed possible future steps should the town accept the gifts: forming an ad hoc committee to develop options for property use within the will’s constraints, and consulting with attorneys and the community if the town later seeks judicial interpretation or modification. Several participants noted prior court action that allowed the town to absorb the Zadok Long Library and its funds; that history shaped the attorneys’ reading of whether scholarship provisions remained valid despite changes in library governance.

No formal change to the warrant articles was made at the hearing. The public hearing closed and the Select Board will await the June 10 vote by Buckfield residents to accept or reject the estate gifts as presented on the warrant.