SABATTUS – Debate over two issues dominated the town meeting Saturday, with voters choosing to pass the school budget and keep the fire department at status quo.

The department is a private, volunteer organization even though it is funded by the town. Those who fought to get the article on the agenda to make the department part of the town asserted that the funds being given to the department were illegal.

One firefighter disagreed.

“It’s being run as a town department, even though it’s not. People don’t understand that you can be owned by the town and still be volunteer,” said Lorri Cressey-Wood, a member of the fire department for two years. “People aren’t educated and they don’t want to listen. They’re afraid that if they bring us on as town employees, they’ll have to pay more.”

If voters had opted to make the department part of the town, they would have a greater say in how its funds are spent and who gets to be chief. The system now has the firefighters elect the chief every two years.

Several townspeople accused the advocates of this article of doing so for personal reasons. Many said that the reason the issue was being pushed was due to bad blood between the former and current fire chiefs.

Former Fire Chief Donald Therrien said that his support for the creation of a town-owned fire department had nothing to do with personal matters.

“We were directed by the town manager to take steps to change what we are right now,” he said. “That’s what we’re trying to do. There is no personal vendetta.”

The other heated issue was school costs. Voters agreed to allocate $6.12 million for the 2008-09 fiscal year, a 2.1 percent increase over last year.

Administration, which includes the superintendent’s office and personnel, was the only piece of the school budget that was not passed as presented. Voters opted to amend the motion to $2,000 less than the $226,171 requested by the school board.

According to Town Manager Gregory Gill, the school budget vote served as a recommendation for the referendum that will take place June 10.