DIXFIELD – About 60 voters took little more than 20 minutes to deal with four special town meeting articles Tuesday night.

In the process, they essentially set the property tax rate for the year, changed the date the first tax payment is due, and established a penalty for those who are late in paying the bill.

In each instance, votes were tallied by a show of hands, and in each instance, not a single hand shot toward the ceiling of the library’s basement meeting room in opposition to a measure.

With Moderator Ralph Clarke directing the session, discussion was strictly limited to the matters at hand. When people wandered astray of warrant articles – one began questioning overall budget issues; others, school spending – Clarke would quickly suggest that they attend selectmen’s, school board or budget meetings to make their points.

After electing Clarke to what has become a traditional role for him, voters dispatched the second article with little debate. The measure authorizes municipal officers to use up to $97,000 of so-called surplus budget funds to offset the tax rate for the coming fiscal year.

By using the $97,000, Town Clerk Nanci Allard told voters the town will hold the line on its existing $26 per $1,000 valuation property tax rate.

Without the infusion of funds, the tax rate would have risen to $27.58, she said.

Dixfield has an estimated $850,000 in its surplus funds accounts, Allard explained, an amount considerably higher than its normal surplus balance of about $500,000. The extra money represents refunds of excessive state retirement payments. All of the surplus is invested in interest-bearing accounts, she added.

Once the funding issue was approved, voters agreed to change the date that the first half of taxes is due from Sept. 15 to Sept. 22. The date change gives property owners a full month to make payment, starting from the day they’re expected to receive their tax bills.

The same date change was approved for the 6.5 percent penalty that will be imposed on late tax payments, those received Sept. 23 and after.