FAYETTE — Fayette’s roads will see a facelift thanks to a bond of $984,000 approved by the roughly 50 voters at Saturday’s town meeting.

Of the bond total, $384,000 will be used to refinance a 2010 road bond. The bond amount is for an estimated maximum annual debt service not to exceed $180,000 for six years with an interest rate of 2 percent.

Resident Lacy Badeau said she was concerned about taking out another bond, particularly since residents had been assured the town wouldn’t go out to bond again until the 2010 bond had been paid off.

“Eventually, you’re going to be so far in debt that you won’t be able to dig yourself out. This is a lot of money,” she said.

Resident Diane Polky said she was in favor of the bond, “but I caution the selectmen that we can’t just keep borrowing money.”

Town Manager Mark Robinson explained that if a road is neglected, it will deteriorate to the point where it gets much more expensive to repair.

“Theoretically, we have lived this life for the last decade,” he said. “We all know what the frost and thaw cycle does to our roads. It’s a challenge and it’s extremely costly.”

Selectman Joseph Young pointed out that the town won’t be able to borrow money any more cheaply, and asphalt prices are favorable. The town hadn’t intended to refinance the the 2010 bond, said Young, but doing so will reduce the cost of previous debt and maximize the value of what the town is doing in its next cycle of road repairs.

Another article which generated some discussion was for the purchase of a new plow truck. The warrant article asked residents to enter into a six-year financial note requiring an estimated future appropriation of $28,000 per year beginning in 2016-17, with a total expense not to exceed $180,000. The purchase involves the trade-in of both the 2004 and 1995 trucks and Swenson Sander to negotiate the lowest possible cost to the town for a new wheeler with new plow equipment, sander, and a used utility truck and quick switch plow.

Concerns were expressed that the wheeler would use more fuel, that it would not see as much use, and that it would need to carry extra sand to get around. However, Road Foreman Patrick Wheeler explained the rationale behind the proposed purchase.

“The weight dispersion on a wheeler does not damage the roads as much as a single axle,” he said. “If you look around, all the contractors own wheelers because it saves them money.

“I’m taking your money and investing it the best way I can,” Wheeler continued. “It’s (a wheeler) cheaper.”

Resident Wes Taylor heartily endorsed the article, and Wheeler’s judgment.

“Pat Wheeler would not ask for something he doesn’t need,” he emphasized. “He’s a hands-on guy. He knows what he’s doing.”

Residents approved the article.

There was also debate about the $6,000 for rural patrol included in the public safety budget. Budget Committee member Brent St. Clair said he was opposed to funding the additional Kennebec County Sheriff’s Department patrols.

“I don’t think it is right to subsidize enforcement of the town for them to do their job, which we expect them to do anyway,” he said.

Other residents questioned just how much the patrols were lowering crime. Selectman Mary Wright, however, credited the Sheriff’s Department for not just patrolling certain roads, but for branching out into other parts of the town as well. She added that the town needs to get a log of how the deputies are spending their patrol time in Fayette.

Badeau made a motion to amend the article from $85,935, recommended by selectmen, to $79,935, recommended by the Budget Committee, thus eliminating the extra funds for rural patrols. Selectman Jon Beekman, though, noted that since rural patrols were instituted, it has made the town safer.

“Every year, they’ve taken people off our roads who roam them for the explicit purpose of not being good people,” he said.

The motion on the amendment failed, and residents approved the $85,935 amount, including the money for rural patrols.

Other municipal budget articles approved included $289,311 for general government; $11,459 for recreation and cultural services; $442,672 for public works; $36,000 for solid waste; $93,089 for debt service; and $3,100 from the fire department reserve account for new Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus’ to replace malfunctioning equipment.

The Fayette School Department budget was approved with little fanfare. It included $1,072,621 for regular instruction; $120,578 for special education; $80,597 for student and staff support; $74,624 for system administration; $71,755 for school administration; $123,737 for transportation and buses; $122,059 for facilities maintenance; $12,500 for debt service and other commitments; and $17,420 for all other expenditures.

In elections held on June 9, Polky was re-elected to a three-year term on the Fayette School Committee. Rachel Holland was elected to a three-year term, and Alanna Stevenson won a three-year term as a write-in. Beekman was re-elected to the Board of Selectmen.

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