SABATTUS – Voters at the town meeting on Saturday agreed to preserve their membership in the group managing the Sleeper Dam, according to the town clerk.

A group of about 80 residents voted to preserve membership in the Sabattus Lake Dam Interlocal Agreement, which includes the towns of Greene and Wales. The Board of Selectmen and the Budget Committee had recommended against seceding from the group.

The question made it onto the warrant after residents, many upset about erosion, gathered signatures last year. It would have allowed the town to retake control of Sleeper Dam.

But voters on Saturday overwhelmingly supported maintaining the agreement, Town Clerk Suzanne Adams said.

“It wasn’t even close,” she said.

In other business, voters followed the Board of Selectman’s recommendation on a budget for the Sabattus Recycling and Solid Waste Management program, approving a $170,253 budget. The Budget Committee had recommended cutting that budget by $1,500.

Voters also approved creating an escrow account to pay for capital building and ground improvements. They overruled the Public Works director and voted against putting money in that account, for which they were asked to approve $25,000.

The Volunteer Fire Department will see a $7,000 cut in funding, after voters agreed to pay $116,3000 for the service – not the $123,300 the fire chief had requested.

Attendance at Saturday’s meeting was much smaller than in years past, Adams said, because items pertaining to the school budget were settled last week at the polls.

Adams said Saturday’s meeting wrapped up by noon. Past town meetings had lasted until 4 p.m., she said.