MEXICO — The majority of the 40 or so residents at a special town meeting Thursday night approved articles that will help with the town’s road improvement plans and help with the property tax liability.

Voters approved taking $50,000 from surplus to make major repairs to 1,850 feet of the Poplar Hill Road. Many of those in attendance are residents of that road, or the Riley Road, which is off Poplar Hill Road.

Town Manager John Madigan said Popular Hill Road is the town’s worst.

At last week’s selectmen’s meeting, resident Bonnie Bouchard presented the board with a petition signed by virtually all of the Popular Hill Road homeowners asking for repairs.

Anson contractor Bruce Manzer Paving is expected to begin work on the $49,420 project in a week or two, and complete it by mid-November. To save additional costs, the town’s public works crew will do all the ditching.

Madigan said work will likely provide at least 10 years additional life to that section of the road. The remaining section of the mile-long road requires a complete rebuild. That work can’t be done until the town can accumulate sufficient funds.

Another $140,000 was approved to be taken from a $705,000 refund the town received from the Maine State Retirement System. The town decided to pull out of the state’s retirement system several years ago in favor of Social Security.

The funds will be used to pay this year’s installment on a $2.9 million road bond. A similar amount was used last year.

In other business, a majority of voters approved taking $100,000 from surplus to go toward property tax liability.

Madigan said the town carries the state recommended amount of surplus, which is 10 to 15 percent of the total town budget of $3.1 million.