WILTON – Three aging trucks owned by the highway department will be replaced after voters agreed to raise $315,541 for the department’s equipment maintenance and repair account Monday during the annual town meeting.

The amount allows replacing the trucks by funding the first year of a three-year financing program.

“Plowing is a nightmare and we can’t depend on them in the summer,” responded highway foreman John Welch about why there was a need for three trucks this year. “It’s money well spent.”

A request for the budgeted amount of $315,541 to be reduced to this year’s $262,275 was made by Paul Berkey, a former town employee who asked why the town needed bigger, faster equipment to do the job when employees were paid by the hour.

The lease/purchase would mean the town will own the trucks at the end of the three years, Welch said. But, if the crew can make less trips by hauling twice as much, it will reduce fuel consumption and tire wear, he said.

While most articles moved quickly, voters questioned some expenses, including $35,500 for assessing and code enforcement activities. Joe Landry moved to drop the amount to $31,500, the cost approved by selectmen for increasing the assessor’s time from 48 to 70 days per year at a cost of $450 a day.

The article also included supplies, costs for phones and $1,000 to update tax maps, Town Manager Peter Nielsen explained.

“The expenses don’t disappear just because we don’t support this line item,” said Conrad Heeschen, who requested amending the amount back to $35,500. The amendment failed.

Landry then moved to appropriate $32,500 to include the assessor and updating tax maps. Voters approved it.

When voters reached an article to raise $255,667 for general government administration, Heeschen quickly moved to amend the amount to $258,667, which included an extra $3,000 to cover expenses not covered in assessing and code enforcement activities.

A second amendment to bring the amount back to $255,667 failed. Voters approved the $258,667.

Voters decided to allow selectmen to sell or make other plans for property at 24 School St. without a town meeting.

An increase to $283,133 for winter highway maintenance, up from $257,499 last year, was questioned. The increased amount needed for sand and salt was explained by Welch, who said the town had been relying on a surplus of sand that is now gone. The price of salt would have brought the article up to $287,000, but Welch expects to purchase less sand to make up the difference, he said.

Two hours into the meeting, voters had worked through 29 out of 51 articles.