WATERBORO – Voters in Waterboro elected two incumbent selectmen from a field of three candidates Tuesday and approved the municipal budget for the coming year, along with a vote validating the RSU 57 budget.

Incumbent Tim Neill prevailed in his bid for re-election to the Selectman’s Board, despite a sign campaign against him. In a Selectmen’s Board vote earlier this spring, Neill had cast his ballot against an ordinance that would have allowed all-terrain vehicle access to three roads. The board vote was in a 2 to 2, with one abstention, resulting in a failure of the ordinance to pass. That prompted a local couple to post signs urging voters to cast ballots for others.

There were three candidates for two seats on the five-member Selectmen’s Board. The top vote-getter was Dennis Abbott with 405 votes. Neill was re-elected with 322 votes, and Republican State Rep. Dwayne Prescott trailed the pack with 291 votes.

Incumbent Robert Gobeil emerged the victor, with 155 votes, in the three-way race for one trustee for the Waterboro Water District, with Craig Richardson earning 60 votes and Matthew Sampson 54.

RSU 57 School Board Director Brenda Dyer was uncontested in her bid for another three-year term, while Elizabeth Keith was unopposed for a one-year term on the School Board.

Voters approved the $6.68 million municipal budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1, which is up about 3.3 percent from the current year. Non-tax revenues are estimated to be about $3.9 million, leaving about $2.7 million to be raised by property taxes.

The town’s longtime trash hauling contractor, D and E Rubbish Removal, has retired and was sold to another hauling business. On Tuesday, voters agreed to allow the town to purchase its own truck to transport trash to Ecomaine. Waterboro had paid $77,000 for trash hauling, but new bids resulted in $150,000 proposals.The new trash hauling truck and a new quarter-ton crew cab 4 x 4 for Waterboro Fire Department, estimated together to cost $215,000, are to be bonded.

The budget includes a 2.5 percent cost of-living raises for employees. As well, since the Board of Selectmen has indicated it would like Town Hall to be open five days a week, the salary of the Town Clerk is to be increased by payment for eight additional hours. Other employees will remain on a four-day work week.

Voters narrowly approved using $25,000 from an old account that had been earmarked for the now non-existent north fire station for preliminary architectural drawings for a proposed new community center. The vote on that question was 307 in favor to 298 against.

Waterboro voters also approved its $9 million share of the $44 million RSU 57 school budget, 393 to 218; and voted to continue the validation referendum for the next three years in a 468 to 144 vote.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 780-9016 or twells@journaltribune.com.