The budget includes $473,167 in debt services for construction projects not funded by the state.

The articles include spending $27,561 for adult education and raising $9,061 as the local share. The adult education budget is a decrease of $111,079 from the last fiscal year.

Councilors Christopher Brunelle and Dale Crafts opposed the seven articles.

“There’s a lot of moving parts to this budget that are still outstanding,” Chairman Allen Ward said.

Any additional funds that the school department may receive will be used for the 2018-19 budget, Superintendent Richard Green said.

The council also voted to reject the bids for a sidewalk snow removal contract and to send out requests for proposals again with clearer guidelines.

“I think we need to pull this back and create a more comprehensive RFP that clearly defines what the town’s expectations are,” Councilor Normand Albert said.

Clearer guidelines include setting the length for the contract and more information on the threshold for when clearing and sanding the sidewalks is warranted.

“People were very upset about the fact that (the RFP) was that vague,” Brunelle said.

Along with the plans for next winter, the town awarded the contract for two new plow trucks to Freightliner for $87,947 per truck. To not raise taxes, $175,894 will come from the unassigned fund balance.

“We do need to have something better planned for this winter,” Public Works Director Ryan Leighton said.

Leighton will also look to sell three old Sterling trucks and plows.

The next council meeting will be at 6 p.m. May 23. It will begin with the Western Maine Transportation Transit Study and conclude with a budget workshop.