POLAND — Town meeting voters Saturday approved a budget that calls for spending $152,000 less than the current year’s budget, but officials were uncertain the reduction was sufficient to offset the looming shortfall in revenue from the state.

Town Manager Rosemary Roy pointed out that the budget, as approved, would have required the town to raise a little less than $4 million, if revenues other than the property tax remained even.

That, Roy noted, would have meant about a $90,000 reduction in property taxes.

But, according to the worst-case scenario for loss of revenue, the town could be looking at property taxes increasing by as much as $475,000.

While spending was down for virtually all municipal departments, voters stood solidly behind the request to increase the Fire/Rescue Department’s budget by some $37,440 — bringing the total to $584,597.

The reason for the support was simple: The project under way to expand and upgrade the town’s fire and rescue station will make possible 24/7 coverage.

“If it means just one life is saved, the $38,000 is worth every penny,” one resident said.

“That’s $100 a night, what an investment, the comfort of knowing help is there,” said another.

Voters were not as receptive of some of the 13 warrant articles proposed by the Planning Board.

Residents passed several Planning Board requests that changed zoning in several areas of town from resource protection to either limited residential or commercial zones over objections that while the less restrictive might be less onerous to current property owners, the environmental consequences might come back to bite the town someday.

Voters rejected a Planning Board-recommended article that would have changed maximum noise levels, allowing development to follow Maine Department of Environmental Protection noise standards, rather than the town’s more restrictive standards.

On a 45-48 vote, voters also rejected an ordinance change whereby developers would be allowed to notify abutters of pending action that might affect their properties by postcard rather than by certified mail.

Voters rejected, calling it spot-zoning, a request to change the zoning for a single property off Poland Corner Road from farm and forest to rural residential. The Planning Board had recommended against the rezoning request.

Townspeople amended the town’s beach ordinance to prohibit smoking and the use of tobacco products at the Tripp Lake town beach.

Selectmen were authorized to negotiate the sale and removal of the building between the Town Hall and Ricker Library, the so-called McConaghy property.

A plan to combine the Poland Spring Bottling Co. tax-increment financing districts 1 and 2 into a single district was tabled following word that state officials might not approve.

The opening of town meeting was delayed about 15 minutes while officials waited for the 100th registered voter to sign in. This was necessary because the Town Charter stipulates that town meeting cannot conduct business unless that number is present.

According to Deputy Town clerk Lynda Carey, who monitored comings and goings at the Poland Regional High School auditorium entrance, the charter requirement was fulfilled.