Voters in Hiram cut several big-ticket items out of the town's annual budget on Saturday during an annual town meeting that featured better-than-usual turnout, a town official said.

Residents voted down proposals to buy the vacant Hiram Elementary School building from School Administrative District 55 for $220,000 and spend $50,000 to help establish a public works department, said Marylou Stacey, the town's clerk, treasurer and tax collector.

Turnout was the highest this decade, as a crowd of more than 70 came to Sacopee Valley Middle School for the meeting, Stacey said. The town has about 1,400 registered voters, she said.

Residents approved approximately $960,000 in town spending. The municipal budget came in slightly lower than last year's, Stacey said.

Voters elected Todd Pierce to serve a three-year term on the Board of Selectmen during elections Friday. They chose Susan Melanson for a three-year term on the SAD 55 school board, and Ryan Randall for a five-year Planning Board term, Stacey said.