NEW GLOUCESTER — The proposed $8 million town budget will be sent back to the Selectboard for revisions after voters Tuesday rejected its appropriations for the New Gloucester Public Library and the Planning Department.
Voters also elected Peter Bragdon to a three-year term on the Board of Selectmen. Bragdon, a former chairman of the Budget Committee, defeated political newcomer Paul Larrivee Jr. 631-544.
All of the articles on the town meeting warrant passed except for the library and Planning Department budgets. The appropriation of $87,860 library was defeated 657-563. The $60,046 budget for the Planning Department was voted down 732-484.
The library and planning budgets had been cut during negotiations and were the topics of weeks of debate and budget revisions.
Results of Tuesday’s election were unavailable until about 9 p.m. Thursday.
“Due to the outstanding voter turnout and volume on Election Day, the required hand counting of the ballots is taking an especially long time to complete,” read a statement on the town’s website. The town office was closed an additional day, on Thursday, to count the ballots.
In the SAD 15 School Board race, there were no candidates, but incumbent Gary Harriman received 128 write-in ballots. There were 67 other write-in ballots.
There were no candidates for Water District. Incumbent Trustee Norm Chamberlain received five write-in ballots for the one-year term seat.
Both questions on the SAD 15 budget validation referendum, on the $28.2 district budget and the $195,076 adult education program budget, passed.
In the U.S. Senate Democratic primary, New Gloucester voters favored Sara Gideon with 409 votes. Betsy Sweet and Bre Kidman, received 111 and 31 votes, respectively.
Incumbent U.S. Sen. Susan Collins received 411 votes in the Republican primary, and Amy Colter, who declared herself as a write-in candidate in April, received 20 votes.
Voters approved the two state referendum questions. On the first question, for the approval of a $15 million bond issue to invest in high-speed internet infrastructure for unserved or underserved areas, 909 residents voted for it and 433 voted against.
The second question, for the approval of a $105 million bond issue to improve highways and bridges statewide and for transportation facilities or equipment related to transit, passed in town 972-376.
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