CHINA -- A quorum of 191 registered voters must check into the China Middle School multi-purpose room Saturday morning if the annual town business meeting is to begin.

Those who want to vote on the new proposals must stay until the end.

ALBION — Residents at town meeting Saturday needed little more than 2 hours to approve a 2008 municipal budget that essentially keeps funding flat.

Selectman Anthony Neves said the $382,012 spending package, which doesn’t include school and county expenses, is less than a 1 percent increase over last year’s municipal budget

“On the local level,” he said, “we have done a reasonable job of keeping the budget down.”

BENTON — Voters approved a plan that could mean significant changes to the their town government Saturday.

About 50 people attended the town meeting. In the only contested race, Mark Brown, chairperson of the board of selectmen, won a narrow contest for selectman over Herbert Thompson in polling Friday.

During the business portion of the meeting, residents approved a plan that could result in creation of the position of administrative assistant.

If approved, the assistant would handle day–to–day affairs at the town office, a role now filled by the chairperson of the selectmen.

Mark Brown said the proposal is driven in part by the increasing complexity of the task of managing town affairs.

The board of selectmen will draft a proposal for the position and present it to voters on a written ballot at the November election. The change would not take effect until next year.

Residents also approved raises for employees at the town office and for the board of selectmen.
The cost of wages for staff at the town office will increase from $52,260 to $58,110.

The chairperson of the board of selectmen will get a $3,400 raise to $11,700 and the other two selectmen will each see their pay increase by $1,200.

VIENNA -- The proposed comprehensive plan took center stage at annual town meeting Saturday.

Shortly after the meeting began, a motion was made to move the state-mandated plan forward for immediate consideration from its position as article 54 on an agenda of 57 items.

RANDOLPH -- Edward F. Gorham was elected by a one-vote margin Tuesday to a three-year term on the Board of Selectmen, Town Clerk Lynn Mealey said.

The selectman's position was the only contested race on the municipal ballot, she said. Vote counters conducted a recount because the race was so close.

Mealey listed vote totals for each of the three candidates. Former Selectwoman R. Gloria Fitzherbert received 80 votes while Gorham received 81 and retired electrical equipment salesman Alfred A. Seymour Jr. captured 79 votes.

The ballot also contained three open four-year positions on the Budget Committee, but only Francis W. Hanley, a member of the committee, ran for re-election.

Hanley received 194 votes.

Michael Carrie, with 46 votes, and Glendon James, with 56 votes, also won seats as write-in candidates.

No candidates put in their names on the ballot for an open SAD 11 School Board position. Tyler Trott won the seat as a write-in candidate with 70 votes, Mealey said.