MEXICO — Residents approved all municipal budget items during Tuesday’s referendum, Town Clerk Peggy Duguay said.

The budget for 2014-2015 fiscal year is $3.03 million, an increase from the $2.98 million approved in 2013.

Duguay said a majority of the budget questions were approved by a healthy margin.

In the contested race for two seats on the Board of Selectmen, Albert Aniel and Andrew Dupuis were elected, receiving 309 and 279 votes, respectively.

Richard Briggs received 201 votes, while incumbent Peter Merrill received 184 and Jack Gaudet received 137.

The bond question, which asked residents to raise and appropriate $800,000 to finish paving Back Kingdom Road and Maine and Alder streets, was approved 307-289, Duguay said.

Article 16, which asked residents if they wished to approve a recall ordinance for the town, was approved 384-207.

The road to a recall ordinance began during an Aug. 29 Planning Board meeting, when Aniel attempted to submit a recall ordinance to the selectmen. He said the town “needed an ordinance to be able to remove selectmen if they were not acting in the best interest of the voters, abusing their position, acted inappropriately or were convicted of a crime.”

On Oct. 8, selectmen voted to create the Recall Ordinance Committee, which consisted of Chairman Richie Philbrick, Selectman Byron Ouellette and seven residents appointed by selectmen.

mdaigle@sunjournal.com