WELD – Town meeting voters approved a budget of $180,000 Saturday, down almost $60,000 from 2005, according to Town Clerk Carol Cochran.

About 70 townspeople took five hours to deliberate the 61-article warrant, but made few changes to the selectmen’s proposal, Cochran said.

Voters rejected a request of $12,000 for an addition to the firehouse. They also cut funding for maintenance of the transfer station by $10,000, to $25,000. Cochran said residents figured the town could operate the station at the 2005 level of $34,000, using $17,000 left over in the account from last year.

Residents voted to allow selectmen to appoint a committee to study the replacement of the town’s 1995 GMC truck; to evaluate all town vehicles; and to develop a long-term schedule for replacement and repair of town equipment, Cochran said.

Townspeople re-elected Bernard Vining with 53 votes. Vining, an incumbent, was unopposed for re-election.

Margot Joly, meanwhile, did not take out papers for another five-year term on the planning board, but she was re-elected in a write-in campaign with 22 votes. Cochran said Joly had not been reached Saturday afternoon to find out whether she would accept the position.

Cochran received 74 votes to be re-elected town clerk and 75 in her unchallenged bid for another term as tax collector. She also got a $1.50-an-hour raise to $14 an hour, while Treasurer Ernestine Hutchinson got a $2-an-hour raise to $12 an hour.

The meeting was moderated by Richard Doughty.