WATERFORD – Town meeting voters approved a $1 million budget Saturday that calls for no salary hikes and a 16.3 percent reduction from last year’s budget.

The estimated 75 voters also turned down a proposed amendment to the shoreline zoning ordinance and map.

Zoning ordinance

Longtime camp owner Les Gammon called for voters reject the shoreland zoning ordinance and map amendment that would comply with mandatory state guidelines, saying the move would restrict dozens of camp owners from rebuilding their homes on their original footprints if they were destroyed.

“We should be grandfathered,” Gammon said of the move that would also add new resource protection areas in the northeast section of Mud Pond and the Bog on the Five Kezars and the northwest part of Papoose Pond.

Planning Board Chairman Tim Fanning said the ordinance and map change should be approved because not only have many of the regulations contained in the ordinance already been in effect for many years, but the new ordinance would actually reduce current restrictions.

Voters turned down the article on a vote of 38-27. A total of 252 towns have to adopt the measure for it to be enacted statewide, Fanning said.

Budget concerns

Voters followed the Finance Committee’s recommendation, approving the $1,004,245 municipal budget, but went against its recommendation for $1,000 for the Historical Society. Members argued for a doubling of that amount, saying the society must take care of the old Town House with appropriate funding or return it to the town. Voters agreed to raise $2,000 instead of the Finance Committee’s recommended $1,000.

Selectman John Bell said one of the biggest changes in this year’s warrant was the elimination of the infusion of revenue (other than real estate taxes) into the general fund to decrease the tax burden. Voters approved that action with no discussion.

Voters also approved appropriating $130,000 for the repair of highways and bridges, $150,000 to continue tarring, surfacing and/or resurfacing town roads and $210,000 for the care of winter roads.

Voters appropriated $172,764 for the use and maintenance of the transfer station, along with $45,000 for local fire protection.