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Durham council approves appointments, grant acceptance and budget schedule; adopts highway‑safety grant
Summary
At its Sept. 8 meeting the Durham Town Council appointed Carden Welsh to fill a vacant seat, elected Sally Needell as Chair Pro Tem, approved special budget meeting dates, authorized an amicus brief on birthright citizenship, and adopted a $16,795.75 highway safety grant for traffic enforcement equipment.
The Durham Town Council took several formal actions on Sept. 8, 2025, approving appointments, scheduling budget deliberations, and accepting grant funding.
Appointments and elections: The Council unanimously appointed Carden Welsh to fill the vacant council seat through March 2026 and Town Clerk Rachel Deane administered the oath. By unanimous vote (7‑0) the Council elected Councilor Sally Needell as Chair Pro Tem. The Council also voted to appoint Councilor Heather Grant to the Cemetery Committee, Councilor Wayne Burton to the Historic District/Heritage Commission, and Councilor Darrell Ford as an alternate to the Planning Board (all by unanimous roll call 7‑0).
Meetings and budget schedule: The Council set special meetings for Nov. 10 and Dec. 8, 2025, to deliberate the FY2026 operating, capital and special fund budgets and scheduled a public hearing for Nov. 17, 2025 on the proposed FY2026 budget and 2026‑2035 Capital Improvement Plan.
Grants and resolutions: The Council amended the completion date for a FY22 Legislative Pre‑Disaster Mitigation grant (LPDM) to extend the period of performance to Sept. 18, 2026, and authorized Administrator Todd Selig to sign related paperwork. The Council also authorized the Administrator to sign an amicus brief in New Hampshire Indonesian Community Support, et al. v. Donald J. Trump, et al., opposing an executive order that would alter birthright citizenship rules.
Traffic enforcement grant adopted: The Council opened and closed a public hearing on Resolution #2025‑16 (no public comment) and then adopted the resolution to accept a $16,795.75 grant from the New Hampshire Office of Highway Safety for traffic enforcement efforts and speed‑monitoring equipment. Police Chief Rene Kelley said the grant will fund a handheld radar and an additional speed sign and that the department may be reimbursed for overtime enforcement hours; he clarified the grant will not pay for scheduled patrol cars.
Other actions: The Council approved the appointment of Julian Smith as an alternate member of the Planning Board (6‑2 vote) and rejected a motion to cancel the Sept. 15 meeting (4‑4 tie). The Council also set a public hearing on Oct. 6 for a NOAA Community‑Based Restoration Program grant for up to $3,247,201 for Mill Pond Dam removal and Oyster River restoration (Item D of the Unanimous Consent Agenda), after discussion raising questions about the current status of federal funding for that project.
What happens next: Administrator Selig is authorized to execute specified grants and paperwork. Planning Board and staff follow up on appointments, and the Council will consider the FY2026 budget at scheduled special meetings and hearings.
