Tory Ford of Wilton checks in with ballot clerk Hazel Flagg, right, on Tuesday in Wilton to vote on the Regional School Unit 9 budget. Ballot clerk Carolyn Smith looks on.

FARMINGTON — Regional School Unit 9 finally has a budget for 2017-18.

Voters overwhelming approved a $33.63 million spending plan by an unofficial tally of 1,934 to 1,142. The spending plan is $887,984 more than last year.

“I am very pleased with the show of support for the efforts of our board of directors and administrative team,” Superintendent Tom Ward wrote in an email.  “We presented a fair budget that meets the needs of our children and our communities stepped up and supported it.”

RSU 9 board Chairwoman Jennifer Zweig Hebert echoed those sentiments.

“I am very pleased with the results of the vote,” she wrote in an email. “This was a compromise budget that preserved valued programming while still passing on some tax savings to local residents. We’ve worked hard to spread information about the budget process and as more citizens became informed and engaged support for the district has grown.”

Approving the budget were voters in Farmington, Industry, Starks, Temple, Vienna and Wilton. Chesterville, New Sharon and New Vineyard rejected it.

Weld voted 44-44.

The election marks the fourth time voters went through a two-step process to try to pass a budget.

On Oct. 11, a majority of over 500 voters approved the proposal that went to referendum Tuesday.

Other attempts to pass a budget failed in June, August and September. Two of the spending plans represented $1 million increases, and a third represented a nearly $1 million decrease from the 2016-17 budget.

dperry@sunmediagroup.net

RSU 9 referendum results

Yes

Farmington: 821-342

Industry: 91-52

Starks: 137-16

Temple: 76-43

Vienna: 87-27

Wilton:  381-247

No

Chesterville: 91-131

New Sharon: 150-159  

New Vineyard: 56-81

Tie

Weld:  44-44

Total:   1,934 to 1,142