WEST GARDINER — Residents voted overwhelmingly at a special town meeting to hire a new clerk to work part time at the town office.

And they agreed to tap into the town’s surplus account for $10,000 to fund the position.

About 75 residents voted at a special town meeting at the fire station Thursday to authorize the West Gardiner Select Board and town hiring committee to establish, hire and fill a part-time office clerk position. The new clerk will work 20 hours a week, with the possibility of working 28 hours or more some weeks.

The vote, with only a few votes in opposition, came with no debate, despite a healthy turnout for the meeting.

Greg Couture, chairman of the selectman, said the overwhelming and quick vote in favor speak to residents understanding that the current town office staff has more work than it can handle.

Residents were presented with six pages of information as they came in the door of the West Gardiner Fire Department at the meeting, explaining what the position would cost, how the new position and worker would be evaluated, comparisons of other area towns’ staffing and compensation, and the need for the position.

“We tried to put as much information out as we could,” Couture said after the meeting. “We wouldn’t have proposed it if we didn’t think we needed it.”

He said residents at a public hearing on the proposal about a month ago had lots of questions and concerns, and the meeting became heated, so town officials sought to answer those questions before the vote.

Moderator John Clark referred to the public hearing as he opened the meeting and instructed residents to be polite as they spoke.

“We were a little less than civil in the hearing we had,” Clark said from the podium, holding a gavel. “We’re all neighbors, we’re going to be good to each other tonight.”

Couture said by the time the job is posted and interviews are conducted, the position will likely be filled around April 1.

The vote included a provision noting $10,000 to fund the position would come from the town’s surplus account. That would pay for the position through June, the end of this fiscal year.

The special town meeting was originally scheduled for Jan. 22 but was rescheduled at the last minute because Select Board members did not sign the notice for the meeting. Such meeting notices are required by state law to be signed by a majority of the Select Board. Town officials postponed the meeting until Feb. 12.

A second proposal, to increase the Select Board from the current three members to five was on the warrant for the Jan. 22 meeting, but was removed when the meeting was rescheduled, and it was not voted upon Thursday.

That proposal may instead go to voters for consideration at the annual town meeting, which is moving to June this year.