LIVERMORE FALLS — Voters passed 10 municipal articles Monday as written and cut $3,000 from another one on a revote of 11 articles that were rejected in referendum form on June 12.

About 60 voters turned out for the special town meeting that took 2 ½ hours for discussion, amendments and vote counting.

Clint Boothby of Livermore moderated the meeting.

The selectmen proposed a $2.3 million spending package for 2012-13 that represents an increase of $108,834 over the current $2.19 million budget. About $98,000 of that was for capital improvements. The Budget Committee recommended a nearly $2.1 million spending plan. The difference between the selectmen’s budget and the Budget Committee’s plan was about $207,000.

Residents approved the Budget Committee’s recommendation of $165,166 for administration trimming $3,215 from the selectmen‘s recommendation of $168,381.

Budget Committee member Ron Chadwick said the panel’s intent for the majority of the cut was to reduce the $6,000 in legal fees by half.  

Residents voted 42-14 to pass the code enforcement budget at the selectmen’s recommendation of $14,370. The Budget Committee had recommended the account stay the same as last year at $13,860.

Voters also approved the Public Works budget at $337,775 that was recommended by selectmen by a vote of 36-23. The budget panel had recommended $325,725.

An attempt to cut the General Assistance budget of $8,650 to $7,150 failed by a vote of 21-42. The article passed at the selectmen’s recommendation of $8,650.

Voters also approved $1,000 for each of the Livermore Falls Downtown Betterment Group, Western Maine Paper and Heritage Museum and Chisholm Trails.

Residents also approved the selectmen’s recommendation of $357,857 for insurances.

An attempt to reduce the $15,000 contingency budget to $10,000 fell short by a vote of 18-32. It went on to pass at $15,000 in a vote of 32-17.

Townspeople also approved $98,960 for capital improvements and agreed to withdraw $20,000 from the recreation reserve accounts to match Maine Department of Transportation funds to build a sidewalk from Foundry Road up Route 133 to just past the town’s snow dump.

It is part of an extension of the bike/pedestrian path.

[email protected]