READFIELD — Voters here approved all the articles on the Town Meeting warrant at the polls Tuesday.

The articles include the items that make up the town’s proposed budget, which stands at just over $2.57 million. All the spending and appropriation articles carried recommendations for approval from both the Select Board and the Budget Committee.

John Perry holds up piece of a beam that needed to be replaced April 21 in the Readfield Union Meeting House. Voters on Tuesday agreed to spend $5,000 toward the cost of rehabilitating the old building. Staff file photo by Joe Phelan

Both bodies also recommended taking almost $188,000 from the unassigned fund balance to reduce the total tax commitment. It won approval 367-75.

Currently the property tax rate is $18.93 per $1,000 worth of assessed property value. However, the school costs drive the bulk of that.

Voters agreed 254-193 to spend $5,000 toward the rehabilitation of the Readfield Union Meeting House, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

They also agreed 238-206 to appropriate $45,000 as a potential grant match for a sidewalk project — to be considered later — to improve safety and access on Church Road. That was the closest vote.

Voters also agreed, 381-59, to enter an interlocal agreement with the towns of Wayne and Fayette for the use of the Readfield Transfer Station. Wayne and Readfield have been partners in the transfer station, and Fayette has been a customer since July 1, 2016. It would become a partner beginning July 1, 2017.

Fayette residents approved the deal at a special town meeting on April 3 and Wayne voters are expected to weigh in on the deal on Wednesday evening at their Town Meeting.

Among the major items on Readfield’s ballot was a request to spend $125,000 for capital improvements for Maranacook Lake Dam, with $45,660 of that coming from designated funds. The article that included it was approved 320-126.

The town of Winthrop pays for almost half the work at the dam because the two towns share the dam.

Officials in Winthrop and Readfield hoped to rebuild the dam at the outlet of Maranacook Lake this summer, a project that would allow the lake’s managers to control its water level better, and that a consulting firm estimated would cost $237,000.

But the construction bids for the project came in higher than expected, so it could be at least another year before the towns can go forward with it, said Wendy Dennis, chairwoman of a committee that is focused on the dam.

Readfield residents agreed, 292-138, to continue doing the Town Meeting entirely by secret ballot, a process begun in June 2015.

Also on Tuesday in Readfield, Dennis Price was elected with 327 votes to the open three-year seat on the Readfield Select Board.

Adam Woodford and Thomas Sneed were elected with 298 and 320 votes, respectively, to represent the town on the board of Regional School Unit 38, the Maranacook Area Schools. All three candidates ran unopposed. Woodford won a three-year seat; Sneed, a one-year term.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams

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