HANOVER – About 30 residents passed all money articles at Tuesday night’s annual town meeting, resulting in a 2004 school, municipal and county budget of $339,924.

The figure is about 2 percent less than the overall budget for 2003.

Voters also narrowly re-elected incumbent Selectman Scott Gould over Wayne Smith, a former Planning Board member who works for MeadWestvaco.

Gould announced prior to the voting that he would be able to serve for only one year of the three-year term because he is moving out of town.

The six-year veteran of the board is a self-employed property manager who has lived in Hanover for 12 years. He said after the meeting that he plans to move to Bethel to a home he is building.

Also re-elected were town clerk, tax collector and treasurer, Clem Worcester, to one-year terms, and Debbie Barlow to another three-year term on the Hanover School Committee. The town’s nearly four dozen students attend SAD 43, SAD 44 or Gould Academy.

Nearly a half-hour was spent discussing a normally routine article that gives selectmen authority to acquire and dispose of tax-acquired property. It was finally passed.

Some people wanted assurance that residents would be notified of any property that would be sold for non-payment of taxes, and one wanted residents to have first chance to bid on such property.

“If property becomes available, it will be publicized,” Selectman Bruce Powell said.

Selectman Brenda Gross, a 20-year veteran of the board, said the last time a tax-acquired property was sold was more than 20 years ago.

Worcester said the town currently has a tax lien on a Main Street property that may be taken by the town and sold in May if taxes aren’t paid.

In other matters, residents turned down an opportunity to discuss the possible affect of the Palesky tax-cap proposal on the town’s operating budget.

The board had prepared a handout listing an estimated loss of revenue to the town of about 25 percent, or $72,000, if the measure passes in a statewide referendum Tuesday.

Resident Tim Lucas objected to the article on the town meeting warrant.

“This isn’t what you do at town meeting,” he said.

Powell said the information was made available as a public service to residents.

Residents easily approved raising a total of just over $179,000 for all school costs, including its share to Region 9 School of Applied Technology. They also approved about $26,000 for municipal salaries, about $10,000 for office expenses, and $30,000 for plowing and maintenance of town roads.

The tax rate will be set early next month. This year’s rate is $15.80 per $1,000 valuation.