STRONG — Voters assembled Saturday at the annual town meeting to decide a budget for 2016.

Thirty-five voters, including five selectmen, agreed to raise and appropriate $577,725, about $50,000 less than the 2015 budget. They also approved a total of $383,749 to be spent from other income categories, of which $250,000 will come from surplus to offset the burden on taxpayers. Another source includes state funding for road repaving.

The meeting lasted more than four hours, significantly longer than meetings in previous years. Several of the 64 warrant articles raised questions about proposed expenditures, with voters explaining their reasons for disagreeing with the opinions of their neighbors.

Some discussion revolved around the use of town funds to buy, replace or repair town equipment. The Highway Department asked for up to $40,000 from surplus funds to buy a used excavator. Several voters suggested that instead of buying used equipment, the department should contract the work and plan to buy new equipment at a future date in a lease-purchase program.

“I would really like to see the selectmen come to the town with a plan to replace all the equipment over the next five to 10 years,” said resident Perry Ellsworth.

Rather than using the $40,000 for a single purchase in one fiscal year, Ellsworth suggested the money stay in surplus for another year while selectmen develop a budget to buy new equipment and pay for it in annual installments. Voters agreed to postpone the purchase of the used excavator.

Another article generating lengthy discussion was the maintenance of ancient cemeteries that include veterans’ graves. Currently, the Village Cemetery has its own trust fund with over $600,000 in investment accounts. The other eight private cemeteries are 100 years old and established on private family land. The heirs of the original owners have responsibility for them, but no documents with those details have been found.

The original cemetery trust document also cannot be located, according to Selectman Dick Worthley. He said he sought legal counsel from Maine Municipal Association, but since the town did not have a way to document the history and possible limitations on use of the Village Cemetery funds, he said the decision could be made by the voters.

“The Board of Selectmen, in 1991, were handed the responsibility of maintaining (all of) the cemeteries,” said board Chairman Jim Burrill. “At the time, $39,658 was in the account.”

The Village Cemetery trust fund includes money raised through the sale of individual plots. The town has contracted with individuals who have mowed and trimmed the grass in all nine cemeteries, but selectmen learned that they should not have allocated Village Cemetery trust fund dollars for repairs and maintenance of the other eight cemeteries without permission from voters.

“This is not an attempt to take over or control the trust fund,” Burrill said. “These ancient cemeteries are small, and it makes no sense just to take care of a veteran’s grave in each of them.”

Voters agreed to use a percentage of the trust fund to maintain all cemeteries.

In Friday’s elections for municipal officers, 75 voters re-elected incumbent Selectman Mike Pond, incumbent RSU 58 Directors Loretta Deming and Jessie Stinchfield, and Fire Chief Duayne Boyd. Selectman Rob Elliott was elected to fill the seat vacated by Milt Baston, who chose not to seek re-election for a fourth term.

This year’s town report was dedicated to Clyde Barker, former selectman and current county commissioner.