LISBON – With just 117 in attendance, down from 151 Monday night, voters wrapped up the second and final session of the annual town meeting Tuesday night, enacting a $12,186,584 school budget, $116,000 less than budgeted due to a last-minute reduction in health insurance costs.

Town Manager Curtis Lunt estimated that the combined town and school budgets would probably result in a 1.5 percent increase, about 30 cents, the smallest in several years. The current tax rate is $25.25 per thousand dollars valuation.

The exact figures will not be determined until August, when revenue figures will be known and the assessors work is completed, after which the tax rate will be set.

Health insurance costs in the school budget are lower than expected because the Maine Education Association Trust Fund decided to help pay down the premium, according to Superintendent Shannon Welsh. The decision means health insurance costs are going up 9.9 percent instead of the 20 percent previously budgeted.

Lori Pomerlow was elected by nomination from the floor to one of two remaining vacancies on the Advisory Board. Nominated, but declining to accept, were Ed Wall, Marie Hale, Gordon Curtis, Frank Hogan and Harry Moore.

On a motion by Advisory Board member Tom Stanton, the abatement account was reduced from the selectmen’s request of $2,500 to $1. An Advisory Board member explained that during budget reviews they were told money from the account was used solely for refunding tax overpayments, and that being the case, they felt it wasn’t right to collect taxes to refund overpayments. Wall questioned if there was no money in the account where funds for tax abatements would come from. This drew no response and the article, as amended, was quickly approved.

A motion to reconsider action on article 73 by restoring a sixth-grade math position that had been removed from the elementary school program failed, even though two School Committee members agreed they had concerns about it. One board member acknowledged that maybe it was in the best interest of education to put the position back in, however Chairman Harold Moran reminded voters “sometimes you’ve got to make tough decisions to keep the budget where it belongs.”

Quickly approved was a $38,076 budget for the Teen Center, of which $2,500 will be from income; $15,000 from the Recreation Land Fund to buy two snowmobile trail grooming machines for the Riverside Snowmobile Club and the Pejepscot Sno-Chiefs; and $127,076 for the Recreation Department, of which $74,826 will come from taxation and $52,250 from income. Also approved was $1,500 for the Historical Society; $2,000 toward the Moxie Parade; and $1,387 for Memorial Day.

Included in the school appropriation were elementary programs, $3,614,804; secondary programs, $1,913,506; support services, $1,375,684; special education, $1,891,741; co-curicular, $348,289; school nutrition, $323,629; general administration, $572,808; operation and maintenance of plant, $1,523,711; transportation, $517,412; foundation allocation, $9,409,405, for which the town must raise $3,371,817 as the local share; additional local funds, $1,988,235.

Major muncipal appropriations include Finance Department, $158,762; winter highways, $126,735; paving (local roads), $150,000; and library, $152,626. Matching funds sought for local Maine Department of Transportation projects were approved as were ordinance changes.

Longtime high school principal Richard Read, who is retiring at the end of the school year, was recognized, as was outging Selectman Trudy Duval and School Committee Chairman Harold Moran. State Representative Bob Berube commended moderator J. Michael Huston, who is also a former selectman, for his contribution.