Residents at Saturday’s town meeting voted to increase the winter roads budget by nearly $40,000 due to the number of storms that pounded the region this winter.

Residents voted to raise $160,000 to maintain winter roads. Lewis Williams, who lost his seat Saturday on the Board of Selectmen, said since January the town has spent $123,000 to maintain roads.

“This is one area you can’t fight Mother Nature, you have to push her out of the way,” Williams said.

Residents approved nearly every budget article, including $42,000 for the fire department; $81,000 to operate the transfer station; and $1,800 for town cemeteries.

Voters also decided to spend $25,000 to build an athletic field at Hebron Station Elementary School. Williams said the initial request was for $35,000. After an hour of debate, it passed with a condition to use material from the town pit for filling the field.

Residents rejected a $35,000 request to buy a truck that would be built to plow snow and sand roads.

“There was a feeling that the town should invest in a new plow truck and spend somewhere around $165,000 to $170,000. That will come up at a special town meeting,” Williams said.

In elections, Joan Clough was re-elected as town clerk, treasurer and tax collector. Bill Clough was re-elected as a library trustee.

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