CHESTERVILLE — Voters approved an increase in the number of town selectmen, the use of excise funds for town roads and funding to cover overdrafts from 2011 during a special town meeting held Thursday at the town office.

The 53 voters passed eight out of nine articles, Town Clerk Patricia Gordon said.

The article defeated asked voters to appropriate $5,000 to build two offices adjacent to the Town Clerk’s Office. These would be used by the town assessor and treasurer. Instead, residents chose to form a committee of five “to look into” adding extra offices and come back to the annual town meeting with a plan, she said. This article was initiated by a citizen petition.

A citizen petition was also behind increasing the Board of Selectmen from three to five members. Some people thought it would be beneficial to have five when someone was absent or if someone resigned, Gordon said. Elections for a one-year and a three-year term will take place at the annual town meeting in March 2013.

A vote to fill the seat of John Worth, who recently resigned from the board, will be held during the June primary on June 12, she said. Worth provided no reason for resigning and had served for more than six years, she said.

During the past March town meeting, residents wanted to put more funds toward some town roads. Voters approved raising and appropriating $38,000 from excise tax funds to maintain roads.

In other business, voters approved a transfer of $38,229 to cover all 2011 overdrafts. This article was accidentally left out of the March warrant.

Voters also authorized selectmen to act on the George Thomas Road bypass project. This includes accepting terms and conditions imposed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for funding, taking care of any legal processes involved in purchasing properties for the project and accepting the deeds to those properties.

Voters accepted amendments to the town’s Land Use ordinance and Shoreland Zoning ordinance. The amendments provide definitions, she said.

abryant@sunjournal.com