WESTBROOK – A controversial proposal to create a commission to review Westbrook’s city charter won approval from city voters on Tuesday – by a razor-thin margin.

The unofficial tallies as of Wednesday morning showed that the creation of a charter commission was approved by just six votes. In favor of the commission were 1,349 voters, and opposing it were 1,343 voters.

Voters also resoundingly approved the new $33 million 2010-2011 school budget. The vote was 1,981 to 811, or 71 percent in favor of the budget, and 29 percent opposing it.

City Clerk Lynda Adams said Wednesday that she wouldn’t have official tallies until later that day or Thursday morning, after the American Journal deadline.

However, Adams said, the election was tightly run and she doesn’t expect the end results to change, even on the close charter commission vote.

She estimated turnout at about 2,500 voters, approximately 23 percent of the city’s more than 11,000 registered voters. Adams said June primary elections typically draw about 15 percent of city voters, so Tuesday’s turnout was higher than usual.

Now that the formation of a nine-member commission has been approved, voters will elect six of the members in November. The City Council will appoint the remaining three members.

The committee will then review the city charter to decide if it wants to make any revisions. Any recommended changes need voter approval.

The council last year was divided in its vote to put the measure on the June ballot this year.

Some councilors argued that creating a commission was necessary to review the way the city’s strong mayor form of government works, but others said the system works fine as is.

The commission will decide for itself which aspects of the charter it wants to review.

However, City Council President Brendan Rielly, who supported forming a commission, has suggested that the commission look at the issue of the authority of the mayor and the City Council. The city has a powerful mayor who has the authority to hire and fire all city employees.

Rielly said on Wednesday that he was pleased with the charter commission vote. The issue hadn’t had high visibility since the council voted last fall to put it on the ballot. However, he believes the vote reflects that “the underlying concerns that people had were still there.”

He urged anyone interested in a seat on the commission to contact the city clerk.

Rielly also said that he was “pleased and relieved” to see the school budget pass overwhelmingly.

The school budget was $2,000 less than this year’s budget and doesn’t raise taxes.

The entire city budget of $56.6 million — which includes school and municipal spending and county taxes and takes effect July 1 — entails no tax increase.

Rielly said that the city budget, which the council formally approved on Monday, also preserves services and “represents an accomplishment” in the economic recession.

Residents also voted 2,259 to 564 to continue going to the polls each year to validate the school budget.

In other tallies, Westbrook voted 1,957 to 1,152 to repeal a state law that would lower income taxes but add sales tax to certain services and goods.

In the Democratic primary race, Steven Rowe, the former state attorney general, was the favorite of Westbrook voters with 371 votes. State Senate president Elizabeth Mitchell – who won the primary race statewide – was the third choice in Westbrook, garnering 350 votes. Portland businesswoman Rosa Scarcelli was second with 354 votes.

In the Republican primary contest, Westbrook voters chose Waterville Mayor Paul LePage, who also won the nomination statewide. LePage got 384 votes and the second choice for Westbrook voters was Les Otten, with 234 votes.