OAKLAND — Voters at Oakland’s annual town meeting Tuesday approved a proposed $3.95 million municipal budget, passing all 23 warrant articles in an hour and 20 minutes.

The budget represents an increase of $357,376 from the current budget, Town Manager Kelly Pinney-Michaud said; nearly 100 people attended the meeting, held at the Messalonskee Performing Arts Center.

“There were a few questions but once we explained, they voted and they voted ‘yes,'” Pinney-Michaid said Wednesday morning. “There really wasn’t a ton of opposition. It was a pretty straightforward budget this year.”

Factors contributing to the budget increase include a $63,200 hike for Delta Ambulance service, which increased from $25 to $35 per capita; a $54,814, or a 9% increase, in health insurance; about $14,000, or an 8% increase, in property and casualty insurance; and moving a part-time transfer station position to full time, representing about a $26,000 increase, Pinney-Michaud said.

Also, three new plow/dump trucks were included in the budget as part of a lease-purchase agreement under which the town will receive three trucks and pay for them over five years, she said. The town’s two trucks now only do snow plowing, are 18 years old and cost more to fix than they are worth, she said. The payment will be about $155,000 per year but the town will use reserve funds of $50,000 for the first two years to bring the payment down to $105,000, she said.

The town locked in at a good price for the trucks and will pay the lease off quickly and then own them, she said.

“It’s a good strategic plan,” she said.

The town has three new trucks on reserve right now and they are the only three available in New England so the town is fortunate, she said. The price of such trucks has nearly doubled in the last two or three years and it takes about two years to build a truck, she said.

Also, town employees will receive a 3.4% cost of living increase, she said.

The municipal budget, she said, is a good one.

“It’s a frugal budget,” she said. “With the price of everything,  I think we did pretty damned good. They (officials) worked hard.”

The town will not know if and how the current tax rate of $14.62 per $1,000 worth of valuation will change until the school budget is approved, Pinney-Michaud said. Voters will cast ballots for that budget at the referendum vote on June 10 at the Oakland Fire Station, with a districtwide budget meeting preceding that vote at 6 p.m. May 22 at the Performing Arts Center.

Voters Tuesday approved spending $1.8 million for the police department; $904,665 for fire and rescue; $805,345 for protection services, including code enforcement; $246,881 for recreation; $665,178 for transfer station and recycling; and $1.55 million for public works and road improvements.

They also approved launching a community development program and possibly submitting a community development grant application to the state Department of Economic and Community Development. Pinney-Michaud said the town will work with Central Maine Growth Council on the effort. She said the town has worked with the growth council for the last six years on projects including the comprehensive plan and downtown tax increment financing program.

“We’re just going to continue our relationship and hopefully fill some empty buildings in Oakland,” she said.

Oakland police Sgt. Gene Richard was awarded The Commitment to Excellence Award for loyalty and dedication to the town. Richard has been a full time officer in Oakland for 33 years, the last seven as sergeant. The Ponitz family was awarded the Spirit of America Award for volunteering on town committees and at the local food pantry, helping to revitalize Main Street by rehabilitating the Bank Block building, and more.